Heartfelt Remedy
by snappdragon
Summary: Sanji comes down with a cold, but Zoro is determined to help him get better. AU Zosan.
1. Chapter 1

A particularly bright ray of sunshine somehow managed to slip past the cracked curtains and onto Sanji's face. He squinted unpleasantly at the interruption to his sleep. While it was not exactly restful sleep, it was better than being awake. He could already feel the aches returning. Shifting beneath the large piles of blankets, still shocked at the amount he owned, Sanji closed his eyes again. The pounding in his head, made worse by the sharp sunlight, accented how shitty he was feeling, and the near-constant chill in his bones reminded him that he needed to buy even more blankets. Colds sucked.

It looked to be about noon, but the thought did little to rouse Sanji from the relative comfort of his bed. He was under strict orders to not come into work that day, and he really could not argue. If he was being honest, Sanji did not think he could make it to his own kitchen in his current state. His usually strong legs were achy and weak, and could barely carry him the short walk to the bathroom. And they were not the only ones to rebel against him. His nose had seemed to completely cease to function. Taking a minute to blow the useless body part with one of the tissues that were scattered around his pillow, he sniffled and tried to remember what had happened the day before.

He had been feeling like absolute shit since early yesterday morning, and it had gotten progressively worse as the day went along. Once he felt the fever come on, he knew he needed to get away from the food, but he had thought he could at least do some paperwork in the back. Nami, his boss, and one of his oldest friends, did not agree. When she found him half alive in a bed of tissues and receipts, she told him to go home, and practically shoved him out the door. That had only added to his misery. Sanji could count the amount of times he had missed work on one hand, a fact that he was immensely proud of, but missing yesterday had brought the count to five, and now he was forced to add his other hand.

Sanji rolled onto his other side, putting the window to his back, and groaned when a sudden hot flash forced him to kick off the covers. _I wish my body would just make up its fucking mind._ He opened his eyes again, distracted from sleep by the sweat that was beginning to re-soak through his t-shirt. Sanji thought about taking it off, but he knew that his body would just pull another 180 and get cold.

Staring blandly at nothing, his attention was caught by the buzzing of his phone as it tried to inform him of an incoming message. It took two tries for him to grab the device, his weakened muscles refusing to cooperate, and he nearly whimpered when the phone's screen sent a spike of pain through his skull. After turning down the brightness, Sanji was able to check his notifications. There was a text from Nami from earlier that morning, reminding him to stay in bed and rest, along with a few emails that did not require his immediate attention. However, the most recent text was from Zoro, and the fact that he had a text from the mossy bastard was attention-grabbing on its own. Sanji was surprised the other man remembered how to text, let alone how to text _him_.

The two had been friends for years now, but they rarely chatted unless it was something important. Not that Sanji did not want to chat about less urgent things with him. In fact, he would love to talk to Zoro about nothing. To just sit and stare at his face would satisfy a lot of needs in the blonde's life. But he would settle for close friendship and minimal communication.

However, even his best friend and crush would have to wait for a reply because his headache would simply not allow any more screentime. He would check the message when his skull stopped throwing a tantrum, which would hopefully be sooner rather than later. Thankfully, his body seemed to take the hint, and the once elusive sleep beckoned to the ill blonde to return to its pain-free embrace. Sanji let the phone fall on the pillow next to him as he found himself slipping back into unconsciousness.

Sanji knew he had not been asleep long when he awoke to the soft vibrations of his phone. He was cold again, and his half-functioning brain convinced him to pull the blankets back over his shivering frame. The buzzing had stopped, and Sanji quickly forgot about it in favor of relaxing his frozen muscles. His headache had begun to complain again, but once Sanji fell still in his warm cocoon, it calmed back down to uncomfortable, rather than painful. Just as he was starting to drift back to sleep, the phone started vibrating again. Well, whoever it was would have to wait, because Sanji had found the perfect state of comfortable and he did not have the energy to stay awake a moment longer.

 _Knock knock knock._

Sanji opened his eyes, the unfamiliar sound distracting him from his blank dreams. That was not his phone. Was it his alarm? No, that did not make sense. Alarms did not sound like that. He began to fade again, thoughts too scattered to comprehend a response.

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK._

The door. Sanji blinked himself into wakefulness, his mind rushing to supply a reason for someone to be knocking so urgently. Was it maintenance? Or perhaps firemen? Was there something wrong? The blonde pulled himself from his bed and stumbled into the living room, tripping over his own feet in his half-awake haze. If it was a salesman, they were going to get a kick to the face, albeit a weak one. He did not need a subscription to whatever magazine they were hawking, and he _probably_ did not need any more tupperware. However, if it was his cute neighbor, that would be a different story. She would get a pitiful smile and an apology for bringing her into contact with his dreadful cold. He'd probably cough on the salesman.

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK._

Part of Sanji did a mental onceover to confirm that he was decent. Sweaty t-shirt, check. Rumpled sleep pants, check. Fuck knows what his hair was doing, check. _Good enough._ He managed to open the door before his headache could get worse from the loud pounding, but his skull was certainly not happy about the flooding of afternoon light that entered his apartment. It felt like his eyeballs were being impaled with spikes.

"About fucking time. I thought you were dead," A gruff voice sounded from within the brightness.

Covering his eyes with one hand, Sanji leaned on the handle of his door, "Zoro? What are you doing here?"

The green-haired man stood in his doorway, stiff with irritation, but obvious concern showed in his handsome features. Sanji looked away sheepishly, recognizing why his friend was glaring at him, and dragged limp fingers through his bedhead. Before he could explain himself, Zoro slipped past him and into the living room, a backpack hanging off of one shoulder. The blonde closed the door, blocking out the hateful sunlight, and continued to lean on it as his aching limbs struggled to function. Even standing was tiring him out at this point.

Sanji took a moment to study his uninvited guest, bleary eyes trailing over the muscles that showed through the white v-neck. He tried to avoid looking at the ass that was perfectly framed by the dark, slim jeans, and reminded himself that this was his best friend he was oogling. Instead he focused on another aspect of the older man; Zoro looked healthy. He did not look like he was about to collapse from a stupid cold. Oh, how Sanji wished to be healthy again. Colds seriously sucked.

His one good eye was studying him, and Sanji blinked wearily in response. "You look like shit," Zoro grunted, but Sanji could hear the care hidden in his gruff tone. Part of his heart fluttered, but he quickly squashed it, once again reminding himself that this was his best friend and such thoughts could not be tolerated. Thankfully, Zoro started talking again and gave Sanij something else to focus on. "Nami said she sent you home sick yesterday, and you haven't been answering texts," Zoro stated in a way that was meant to be casual, but was definitely not.

"Yeah, sorry. I've been trying to sleep it off."

"Well, that's obviously not working," Zoro remarked dryly before continuing, "And I doubt you've tried much else. That's why I'm staying here to make sure you that you eat, and, you know, don't die."

Sanji looked up in shock, "Zoro, you don't have to worry about me. That's nice of you but-"

He was interrupted by Zoro snorting with annoyed amusement, "You aren't going to worry about yourself, so someone fuckin' has to. I know you, you won't ask for help. So, I'm staying here and taking care of you. Get used to it."

"But- but it's just a cold. It just needs to run its course!" Sanji replied stubbornly, the chill returning and making it harder to focus.

Zoro did not respond immediately, instead walking over to the couch and setting his backpack down on it. When he looked back at the blonde, he was wearing the infamous 'fighting is pointless' expression. "That's great, but I'm not leaving until you're better."

There was another long moment where neither said anything. Zoro glared determinedly while Sanji pouted and tried to stay awake. He knew arguing was not going to work, but giving in to the other man was literally the worst. However, he just simply did not have the energy that it would take to win against the stubborn bastard. Before he could give in, the silence was broken by the growling of the sick cook's stomach. _Damn it_.

"That's what I thought," The older man chuckled and waved at the bedroom. "Get back in bed and I'll make you some soup."

"But-" Sanji began, sluggish thoughts attempting to come up with a last ditch effort at an argument, but suddenly Zoro was in front of him, smacking a cool hand against his forehead. His skin rejoiced at the difference in temperature but Sanji hated that it easily gave away his fever. The unimpressed glare he received finally broke him, and with a pathetic groan, Sanji dragged himself back to bed.

Once the blonde had disappeared into the other room, Zoro unpacked some of the supplies from his bag. Getting the weekend off had been easy since he rarely used his vacation time, and he had packed whatever he thought he would need to take care of Sanji for a few days. While he did not know much about cooking, definitely not as much as Sanji, he could at least make chicken noodle soup. He retrieved a can from the depths of his bag and headed towards the kitchen. Okay, he knew how to microwave chicken noodle soup. But it was better than the nothing the sick man was probably eating. Swirly-browed bastard seriously did not know how to take care of himself.

As the bowl spun and cooked, Zoro leaned against the counter. In the many years he had known Sanji, he could not remember a time the cook had truly been sick, at least sick enough to constitute missing work. Even Nami had sounded concerned, which had set off a whole new set of warning bells. And it did not help that Sanji would not want his friends worrying about him, even though he always worried about the rest of them. Whenever anyone else in their group of friends got sick, Sanji was always there with soup made from scratch, and a blanket from his own bed. The least Zoro could do was take care of the guy for a few days.

 _But this is more than just returning a favor to a good friend…_ Zoro frowned in thought. He cared about Sanji more than he cared about most people, and even more than some of his closest friends and family. It had been like that for a while now, but Zoro had done his best to shove such thoughts out of his mind. He could not allow a crush to distract him from being a friend that Sanji deserved. Especially when he was sick and needed help. It was not often that Sanji needed someone, being as independent as he was, and seeing the blonde so flushed and feverish had worried Zoro. He was determined to help Sanji get better.

The microwave beeped and the swordsman pulled the steaming bowl out and onto the counter. Finding a spoon proved easy since Sanji kept his kitchen so organized, and Zoro hesitantly tasted the noodle-filled broth. It seemed alright to him, but he was not the cook of a five-star restaurant. Zoro frowned, glaring at the meager meal. It would probably taste like muddy water to Sanji, but he doubted that he could ever cook something that would actually stand up to the other man's standards.

So, while it was not the best option, at least it was food, and the blonde definitely needed that. There was no way he was getting better if he did not eat. If it came down to it, Zoro would just force feed him. An option that sounded highly beneficial to Sanji's health, while also being highly entertaining to his green haired best friend.

As he let the soup cool, the chill of the apartment alarmed the already concerned man. Sanji always kept his apartment at a lower temperature, but this was worse than usual. He was definitely sick. The realization that Zoro was not only cold, but also hungry, had him making another bowl of the warm broth for himself. At least it smelled good. _Maybe Sanji won't be able to taste it with his stuffed up nose._

Zoro stepped into Sanji's bedroom, carrying a bowl in one hand. The blonde was passed out on the bed and nearly hidden by what looked to be five blankets, or more. Sweat lined the pale brow, and flushed cheeks peaked out from around the pillows. He looked as beautiful as ever, even if he was currently miserable and feverish. Setting the bowl on the nightstand, Zoro took a careful seat on the edge of the bed. He could see Sanji shivering despite his covers, and Zoro pressed the back of his hand against the damp forehead. His temperature was definitely higher than it should be, but not high enough to call Chopper, though their doctor friend might beg to differ.

His frown lightened for a moment and he let his fingers trail down the clammy cheek affectionately. The moment passed and his frown returned as he pulled away.

Despite his worry, Zoro knew the other man was tough and just needed to let the fever run its course, but he would definitely be there to make Sanji as comfortable as possible. With that in mind, Zoro picked up the soup and retreated to the common areas of the apartment. He put away Sanji's uneaten food in the fridge, and took his own bowl into the living room. It really did taste alright to him, and he slurped at the noodles while getting settled on the couch.

Zoro did not know much about taking care of someone who was under the weather, but surely the internet would have some clues. Taking out his phone, he began to scour the web for advice and remedies.


	2. Chapter 2

Sanji opened his eyes carefully, afraid he would be attacked by sunlight again, but was met with cool darkness. His bedroom was bathed in shadows, while his body was bathed in sweat. Through the cracked curtains, he could see the sky painted in reds and purples as night overwhelmed the day. It was beautiful, but all Sanji could do was rejoice in the fact that his headache would have less to complain about now that the sun was gone. Not that that would prevent it from beating the shit out of the inside of his skull, but he was trying to be positive.

His hazy musings were interrupted by what seemed to be the distant sound of swords clashing. The fight was coming from his living room. His bedroom door was keeping out most of the noise, but light danced from under the edge, distorted against the carpet. It would seem that Zoro was still there, and was probably watching one of his old-timey, samurai movies.

The realization might have made him blush adorably, or it might have just been a hot flash starting up again. Sanji was going to tell himself it was the fever, and was going to try and go back to sleep. However, his stomach seemed to have other plans as it seized suddenly. An awful, growling whimper rumbled from the starved organ just as Sanji realized he could smell something delicious coming from the other room.

With hunger giving him a boost of dredged up energy, Sanji slowly got up from the bed, his limbs responding but just barely. The hot flash had already been replaced by a bone-deep chill, so Sanji pulled his grey comforter from the bed and wrapped it around his shivering frame. He opened the door slowly, expecting to be blinded by the living room light, but found only the pale colors from the TV filling the room. He still squinted cautiously, but his head seemed okay with the change in brightness.

Zoro was sitting on the couch, his legs stretched out in front of him. There was a pale blue blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and Sanji took a second to try and figure out where Zoro had found it, because he could have sworn that he had used every blanket in the apartment. It would not have shocked him to find out that the other man had gotten lost and found it in the neighbor's place. Sanji then noticed the pizza box balanced in the green-haired man's lap, along with the two stacked on the coffee table.

Sanji had discovered the source of the delicious smell.

And knowing Zoro, the pies were probably piled high with almost every topping imaginable. His dry mouth was suddenly watering and Sanji thought his stomach was going to eat its way through his abdomen. The other man was watching him, steel grey eye taking in every detail with a serious expression. Sanji would have blushed under the scrutiny, but his face was already red. And besides, he knew that the look was not sexual- no matter how much he wished it to be.

"Did I wake you?" Zoro asked softly, as if talking to a sleepy child.

Sanji shook his head as he shuffled over to the couch, "No, you're fine." With careful movements, he arranged himself on the other side of the couch. He curled up in a ball, the comforter nearly swallowing him whole. Peaking out from his squishy shell, Sanji eyed the pizza in Zoro's lap with a hungry look.

Chuckling, Zoro sat up and watched him in amusement, "Hungry?" Without waiting for a response, he set aside the pizza and stood up. "You didn't eat earlier, so I bet you're starved. I'll go reheat the soup."

The blonde was about to argue against the idea, wanting nothing more than to stuff his flushed face with cheesy, bready goodness, but was distracted by Zoro stretching. His muscular arms were lifted above his head, pulling up the white shirt to reveal a side glimpse of his insanely toned stomach, along with the tanned curve of his lower back. Sanji sniffled pathetically, unsure if it was due to the cold, or an aroused nosebleed, but it got Zoro's attention. He disappeared into the kitchen for a moment and then returned with a box of tissues.

Muttering an embarrassed 'thanks', Sanji accepted the box into the plush cocoon and gently blew his nose. Thankfully, there was no blood- he knew he had better control over himself than that- but it did not change the fact that he was being incredibly gross in front of his crush. Why it was bothering him now, after all he and Zoro had been through, he could not understand, but he also did not have the energy to truly care. He felt like shit, therefore he looked like shit. Suave was not a thing when you had a cold. He sighed in exhausted frustration, and turned his pitiful gaze to the TV where two samurai were exchanging blows in black and white.

Zoro was staring at the bowl of soup as it cooked for the second time in the microwave. He hoped that was okay, but he saw no other option to get it warm again. Maybe he should open a new can, and make it fresh. Realizing how overprotective he was being, Zoro growled at himself and opened the microwave as it beeped. _Sanji would not die from re-nuked soup._ He stirred the soup angrily. _He just has a fucking cold._

While chastising his overly-worried self, Zoro brought the warmed food back into the living room. All he could see was a mess of blonde hair, and a tired, blue eye staring up at him grumpily. Two hands appeared from the pile of grey and took the bowl, the soup resting on top of the lump that Zoro assumed was Sanji's knees.

"Don't spill it, moron," He muttered as he took a seat next to the sick man and retrieved his box of half-eaten pizza. His one good eye kept glancing over at Sanji as he tried to gage what the other man thought of his meal.

"Shut up, I'm not gonna spill it," Came the grumbled response from the half human half blanket.

When he heard the soft slurping of soup, Zoro forced himself to focus his attention on the movie that was playing softly in the background. However, his ears kept honing in on the sound of Sanji eating, and it was just making him more and more nervous. The cook was eating it, which meant he deemed it edible, but that did not mean he liked it. _He doesn't have to like it, idiot, he just has to eat it. You're trying to make him better, not impress him with your lack of kitchen skills._ But no matter how much he argued with his brain, it would not stop hanging onto the sound of every chewed noodle. He needed a new plan of attack. Distraction was always good.

Step 1: Focus on the movie.

Nothing like watching two men fight with swords to make you not think about your crush eating your attempt at cooking. But, for his plan to work, the movie would need to drown out Sanji's soft eating. He had kept the volume down while Sanji had slept, but now that he was awake, Zoro figured he could risk it being a little louder.

Step 2: Drown out your crush with raised volume.

Zoro glanced around for the remote he had placed on the armrest, but to his horror, it was missing.

Step 3: Find the remote.

It took a full minute for him to find the stupid device buried in the cushions, and that minute was full of slurping and chewing and anxiety. Once he finally retrieved it, Zoro turned the sound up a few bars and immediately felt himself relax. This was ridiculous, he was about to miss his favorite part of the movie. _I'm really off my game here. I need to focus._ With that in mind, Zoro tore at the piece of pizza in his hand and practically glared at the TV screen, engrossing himself in the scene by force. This allowed a few minutes of companionable quiet as they both watched the movie and ate their meals. It was not until Sanji sat up with the empty bowl that Zoro acknowledged the other man.

"How you feelin'?" The swordsman asked as he took the bowl from Sanji's trembling hands. He had been shivering almost constantly now, even with the warm soup in his stomach. Zoro did not like it one bit.

Sanji curled back up, sniffling into a tissue. He laughed weakly, "Like shit."

"You look cold. I can make you more soup?" Zoro offered as he sat on the edge of the couch, ready to dash into the kitchen at a moment's notice.

"I really don't know if I can eat anything else right now. That filled me up. But thank you," Sanji murmured from behind the blanket, eyes drooped miserably. Now that he was done eating, he had ducked back into the cocoon. Everything beneath his red nose was hidden from view, but Zoro could see the top of his flushed cheeks, and it was adorable.

 _He probably hated the soup. Damn it._ "Well, what about something to drink?" Zoro offered, still frozen on his toes, needing to do something to help. Sanji shifted, and the green-haired man assumed he was adjusting his knees to curl up against his chest, but it was only a guess since the lump still looked like a lump.

"Actually, yeah…" The blonde began, obviously forcing himself to ask for help, "Could I have some tea?"

"Tea?" Zoro asked, immediately getting to his feet, "Got it." He could make tea. Right?

 _Yeah, I have no fucking clue how to make tea,_ Zoro realized as he stared into the pantry at the stupidly large collection of tea. He knew green tea and that was about it. But Sanji had so many different types, and Zoro could swear that some of them were not real ingredients. _Who drinks flower flavored shit?_ Staring in wide-eyed confusion, Zoro decided asking Sanji's opinion would be his best bet.

"Uh, what kind do you want?" He asked loudly, dragging his fingers through his short green locks, knocking his earrings absentmindedly.

He heard the sound of a nose being blown into a tissue and then a small pause before Sanji called out weakly, "Uh, probably green tea with honey and lemon."

 _Thank fucking god._ "Honey and lemon, honey and lemon," Zoro muttered as he pulled out a few teabags and then located the jar of honey. He was just checking the fridge for lemons when he heard Sanji continue.

"The teapot should be by the sink," The sick cook added distantly, his voice sounding stuffy and miserable.

 _Teapot?_ Zoro's eye tracked over to the sink and the plump little pot. _How the fuck do you use a teapot?_ He picked it up, staring at the weirdly shaped device in horror, before he finally set everything down and came up with a plan.

Sanji gave him a confused look as he stiffly walked over to the couch, picked up his phone, and stiffly hurried back to the kitchen. Once he was hidden from the cook's gaze, he began urgently typing into his browser. The internet could surely teach him how to use a teapot. After several steps and a lot of irritation later, Zoro returned to the living room with a mug of hot green tea with lemon and honey. He passed it to Sanji, who gingerly took the warm cup with a whispered 'thank you' and retreated back into the depths of his comforter.

"Do you want me to turn on the heat? I doubt it being freezing in here is helping you," Zoro commented, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly.

He received a firm shaking of blonde hair, "No. I tried that. I just had more hot flashes. I'm cold right now, but if you turn on the heater, I'll burn up. It makes no fucking sense."

"Yeah, that doesn't make sense. But I don't know shit about colds, so maybe we should ask Chopper. I bet he'd know."

The blue eye locked on Zoro fiercely, Sanji's frown hidden but obvious in the intense slant of his curly eyebrow. "No. You know Chopper. I don't need him here fussing over me. You're lucky I'm letting you stay here."

"You are in no position to make me do anything," The swordsman corrected as he sat back down, "But yeah, I'll agree with you about Chopper. I won't call him unless I actually think you're dying."

"Gee, thanks," Sanji griped before bringing the tea to his face, attempting to inhale the warm air. He sniffled unhappily, obviously not able to smell the lemony, honey fumes, but Zoro saw the way Sanji's muscles relaxed as he took his first sip of the warm liquid.

They both returned to watching the movie, however Zoro kept glancing over at Sanji from the corner of his eye. The blonde's one visible eye was slowly closing as he struggled to stay awake. He was still sipping at his drink, but it was becoming more and more obvious that Sanji was about to fall asleep. Zoro continued to watch him closely, looking for the moment when the beautiful blue eye did not re-open and Sanji's muscles went lax with sleep.

It happened sooner than he expected, but Zoro was blessed with fast reflexes. He reached over and snatched the half-empty mug from the now-sleeping cook's hands, and set it on the coffee table without spilling a drop.

The messy head of blonde hair drooped to the side, the awkward angle looking incredibly uncomfortable, and Zoro twitched as he tried to decide if it was okay to reposition him. He stared at Sanji for a few angry moments, his frown etching itself into his forehead. While still arguing gruffly with himself, Zoro finally reached over and carefully bundled up the blanket under the cook's head. Now, at least, it did not look like Sanji was about to snap his neck in his sleep.

Once he was satisfied with the other man's comfort, Zoro sat back and wrapped his own blanket around himself. It really was cold, but it was not bothering him. He trained in the cold, this was nothing, but that did not stop him from checking to see if Sanji's trembling had lessened.

An hour passed, and Zoro had put in another samurai movie. He had brought a decent selection since he rarely liked what Sanji had in his personal collection of films. Rom coms were really not his thing. The cook was still sleeping, but he looked miserable. His shivering had gotten worse, and Zoro was trying to decide what he wanted to do. He had thought about turning the heater on, but the little device turned out to be way more confusing than he had predicted.

His second option was to carry Sanji to his bed, at least there he could lay down. That seemed like the best choice, so Zoro scooted until he faced Sanji, quickly planning how he was going to pick up the lump. He eventually leaned over, slipping an arm behind Sanji in an attempt to lift him, but the action caused the blanket to slip from around the hunched shoulders. Deciding to fix it later, Zoro continued to try and gently move Sanji, but something unexpected threw off his plan. The blonde shifted in his sleep, his uncovered arm reaching out in a searching manner before wrapping around Zoro's bicep tightly.

Panic filled Zoro as he sat back, unsure of what to do about his current predicament. The abrupt movement had dragged Sanji with him until the cook was now half-pressed into the space been his arm and chest. Sanji nuzzled into him, sighing in his sleep, as he continued to hold on to the muscled arm like a lifeline. Zoro stared, still panicked at the realization that his crush was cuddling him. However, the part of his brain that was not freaking out noticed an important detail about the situation.

Sanji had stopped shivering.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Zoro finally gave in to what he actually wanted to do. He pulled Sanji's comforter onto them both, tucking it around Sanji's shoulders, before holding the slender frame closer. Warmth quickly filled the space inside the blanket while the sick man continued to snore softly against his arm, oblivious to the torment he was causing.

Zoro was heartsick. He wanted this to be more than it was _so_ badly. It was almost perfect, and he loved it. He loved it too much. But in the end, it was nothing, and Zoro could not allow himself to think of it any other way. He reminded himself that this was just for Sanji's health, not for his romantic daydreams, and tried to focus on the movie instead of the hot breath causing chillbumps to race across his skin.

It was not long before Zoro drifted to sleep, listening to the faint heartbeat of the man he loved.


	3. Chapter 3

Zoro awoke to the sound of a horse whinnying softly. He cracked open his good eye, glancing around the room. Faint light was beginning to filter in through the living room windows, letting him know that the sun was rising with a new day. It seemed that he had fallen asleep on his couch. _Wouldn't be the first time, I suppose._

The movie from the night before was still playing on the TV, apparently having started over multiple times while he had slept. It was only a few minutes into the first scene, which happened to be a loud battle. Zoro used his free hand to hit the power button on the remote. With the sudden quiet of the morning, he once again settled his head against the silky pillow he had been resting on.

He was warm, comfortable, and strangely happy. Not wanting to question his good mood, Zoro closed his eyes again. Sleeping in a bit longer sounded amazing and, while the sun may be up, he definitely did not need to be. Cuddling closer into the comforter that was wrapped around him, Zoro began to doze off to the soft sound of snoring.

 _Wait._

 _How is there snoring if I'm not asleep yet?_

His eye opened again as he jerked his head up, staring down at the messy head of blonde hair that he had been using as a pillow.

 _Sanji._

The sick cook was curled across him, one arm wrapped behind Zoro's back, while his head was lightly resting on his chest. Sanji had one leg draped over the mosshead's thigh, while his hand, which had been laying on Zoro's stomach, shifted to lay near the flushed face. The blonde sighed softly in his sleep, his fingers gripping the fabric of the other man's shirt. Zoro noted that he did not seem to be shivering, which seemed like a good sign.

The swordsman slowly adjusted so that he could press the back of his right hand to the flushed forehead. His temperature was still warmer than Zoro felt it should be, but progress was progress. However, that did not change the fact that they were practically tangled around each other.

The mental battle of whether or not cuddling with Sanji was ethical went faster than it had the night before. This was due to the fact that Zoro now had proof that snuggling definitely helped Sanji stay warm. There was no arguing against that.

So, without too much guilt, Zoro re-tucked the blanket around them both before finding his phone. It was getting close to 7am, and he genuinely could not remember the last time he had been up this early. However, now that he was awake, there was no way he could go back to sleep, not when a sick Sanji was burning up in his arms.

His quick search pulled up a few more nuggets of advice, though many recommended types of medication if the symptoms got to be too much. Somehow he doubted Sanji would go with that idea since he wanted to just let the fever run its course. Not that Zoro blamed him, he would probably say the same thing if their positions were reversed.

These thoughts were interrupted by movement beneath the blanket. Sanji's head rolled until his nose was pressed up against the bare patch of skin that was revealed by Zoro's v-neck shirt. Hot breath skittered under the fabric, making him suck in an aroused breath.

Thankfully, Sanji turned again, his grip on Zoro's lower back flexing as he began to wake up. Blue eyes opened slowly, cautiously, obviously testing the brightness of his surroundings. Not wanting to draw attention to their snuggled position Zoro trained his attention onto his phone as he continued to scroll down a page of home remedies.

Sanji stared at the tan thing before him in sleepy confusion, eyes blinking slowly as he hugged the warm pillow closer. As his brain turned on all of his functions one by one, the cook eventually realized that the tan thing was actually Zoro's bicep, and that the warm pillow beneath him was actually Zoro's warm body. Panic flashed through him. Had he cuddled against the other man unconsciously while sleeping?

Sitting up sharply, Sanji felt a true blush burn his cheeks just before his headache began screaming at the abrupt movement. Dizziness and pain forced him to shut his eyes tightly. His hand left Zoro's thigh, which he had pushed off of in his haste, and cradled his head. It felt like his brain had come loose and was rolling around inside his skull.

"Hey, hey- you okay?" Zoro's concerned voice asked as a warm hand steadied the swaying Sanji by touching his shoulder.

"Yeah, I just shouldn't have moved so quickly," Sanji muttered, eyes closed tightly. The feeling eventually passed, and he glanced shyly up at Zoro. "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Zoro's calm state made Sanji fall quiet, unsure of how to continue. The other man was frowning slightly, an unreadable look in his steely eye. "Are you still cold?" Zoro asked.

There was a moment of quiet as Sanji tried to figure out how to respond. He waited until the silence was almost longer than was socially acceptable, before he finally whispered, "..Yes…" And it was not a lie. The chill of the room was already beginning to crawl across his body. He could feel the cold tensing the muscles in his back. He was freezing.

"Then stay put. You need to stay warm, and a bit of embarrassment isn't going to kill you," The marimo muttered gruffly, lifting his phone back up as if everything was completely normal and not the least bit awkward.

Slowly, Sanji laid back down, placing his head on the hard, upper abs of Zoro's stomach. _I can't believe I'm doing this._ He kept his arms tucked against his own chest, and drew his legs closer for warmth. He felt the other man drawing the blanket around his shoulders so that he was nearly buried by it.

A companionable quiet filled the room again, but despite his embarrassment at their situation, Sanji was still strangely relaxed. Zoro's hard muscles were surprisingly comfortable under his weary body, and the soft rising and falling of Zoro's breathing helped lull him into a state of calm.

That is, until his nose started running like a fucking faucet.

"Um.. can you pass me a tissue?"

There was a slight shifting of his human pillow, before a tissue floated in front of his face. Wiping at his stuffy nose gently, Sanji muttered, "Thank you."

He received a grunt that he assumed was a 'you're welcome' and then everything went quiet again. The only sound to be heard, besides the soft singing of birds outside, was the tapping of Zoro's fingers on his phone screen.

"What are you looking at?" Sanji murmured, keeping his head angled downward so he would not have to look at Zoro. He was afraid that if he looked at the other man, Zoro would see the pure happiness that was surely all over his face. _This is seriously a bad idea_ , Sanji scolded himself, _but I don't ever want to leave his arms..._

"I'm looking for home remedies," Zoro replied absentmindedly, obviously focused on what he was reading. That was fine by the blonde, who took the lack of conversation as a time to relax and enjoy the moment. Who knew when he'd get a chance like this again.

Zoro was warm, warmer than what seemed normal, and being able to touch the strong muscles, even if it was through a shirt and just barely, was beyond what Sanji could ever have imagined. While he had had a few boyfriends in the past, none of them had been as built as the green-haired god he was currently laying on.

Sanji wanted to explore further, to taste the sunkissed skin, and trace each defined piece of hard flesh. However, despite not being able to truly experience the physique of the other man, Sanji was satisfied with the limited experience.

"This link suggests sitting in a hot bath or shower. It says the steam will help with your nose," Zoro murmured before glancing up. The look in his eye said it was not a suggestion.

The threat was not necessary since a hot shower sounded amazing to the sweaty blonde. "Actually, that sounds like a really good idea." With careful movements, and a pang of regret at leaving Zoro's embrace, Sanji began to untangle himself from the comforter. Just as he was beginning to locate his legs, Zoro got up and pushed him back down on the couch.

"I'll start the shower. You just stay here."

"Yeah, yeah," He grumbled as he waved Zoro away. When he heard the other man leave, amusement quirked Sanji's lips into a small smile. _Stupid marimo_ , he sighed softly before he closed his eyes, giving the slight dizzy spell a moment to fade.

It did not take long for Zoro to get the shower blasting hot water, filling the small bathroom with heat. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror, noting that he probably needed to take a shower later, and brush his teeth. Good thing he had planned ahead and packed various necessities that he could fetch once Sanji was taken care of.

However, Zoro did take the moment alone to use the toilet and splash some cool water on his face. Feeling refreshed, he returned to the living room. His arrival prompted Sanji to glance up, face scrunched in discomfort.

"Hot water's running. Do you need anything?" Zoro asked awkwardly, scratching at his neck.

The blonde shook his head and slowly got to his feet. He was about to take his first step when Zoro saw the way his weight began to sway dangerously. Within the blink of an eye, he was next to Sanji, an arm wrapped around his back to support his weight. Neither said anything when the sick man leaned against the other, letting himself be guided to the now steamy bathroom. Once inside, Zoro backed off, hovering at the door frame with an unsure expression. He could see the way Sanji's knuckles were white as he clung to the sink counter.

"Do you.. need help? I mean-" He cut himself off, frowning in irritation at this own embarrassment.

"No, I got it," Sanji replied, rubbing at his head wearily. There was a slight pause before he continued in a softer, more appreciative tone, "Thanks though."

Before the situation could get even more awkward, Zoro closed the door and hurried into the living room. Why was it so weird to be nice to Sanji? They were friends, but helping him walk to the bathroom felt as awkward as a slow dance in middle school. And that has been pretty damn awkward.

Pushing that painful memory from his mind, Zoro focused on finding his toothbrush, which apparently had been eaten by the bottom of his backpack. After finally locating the damn thing, he switched to looking for his toothpaste, but his search was interrupted by a loud thud. He barely heard it over the sound of the shower, but he immediately panicked.

Without thinking about the potentially naked situation he could be running into, Zoro rushed over and opened the door, toothbrush clutched tightly in his fist. Sanji was on the floor, shirtless and in pain. Zoro noted that his sweats were around his ankles, leaving him in nothing but his navy boxers. When the blonde looked up at him, cradling his head with a grimace, Zoro also spotted a trickle of blood coming from his hairline.

"Are you okay?!" The green-haired man asked, his words clipped with concern, "What happened?"

With an embarrassed frown, Sanji nodded gingerly, "Yeah, I think I'm okay. I just lost my balance and fell. Hit my head on the towel rack."

Zoro dropped to his knees, sticking his dry toothbrush in his mouth as he gently lifted Sanji's fringe to check the wound. It was strange to see both eyes at the same time, and even more strange to see the spiraled eyebrows side by side, but all the worried man could focus on was the small gash hidden beneath the golden hairs. It was not a bad cut, but the cook's headache had to be a lot worse.

"I think you're fine, but it's probably gonna bleed a lot," Zoro commented as he took some toilet paper and pressed against the small wound. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've helped you. And then we could've avoided you hitting your head and making your stupid worse."

"Shut the fuck up," Sanji groaned, taking the tissue and holding it against his own head, allowing Zoro to sit back and smirk at him. "I thought I had it." He lifted the tissue away to check the bleeding, and growled when he felt a fresh trickle of blood race down his temple. Blocking it, he sighed and sat up properly.

"Okay, well I'm gonna stay and make sure you don't bust your head again," Zoro muttered around the toothbrush as he stood up.

Sanji looked up with confusion, "Wait, what?"

"Don't argue," Zoro growled, taking the toothbrush and pointing it at the blonde accusingly. "I'm not risking you hurting yourself again when I could just help in the first place. Don't be a prude. I've seen you naked before, it's not a big deal." And while seeing Sanji naked was actually a huge deal to Zoro when it came down to it, the sexual side of it was the last thing on the green-haired man's mind. Slipping into protective, caregiver mode seemed to turn off the signals to his dick and he was definitely not complaining about that fact.

With an uncomfortable frown, Sanji finally accepted the hand that Zoro was offering, and allowed the other man to pull him to his feet. Zoro watched as the blonde turned towards the shower, keeping his back to him while he carefully dropped his boxers. Zoro was not even tempted to glance down at the most likely perfect ass. Instead, he was watching for any unsteadiness in Sanji's movements.

When the cook stepped out of the fabric, Zoro's hands moved to hover near his shoulders, ready to catch him if he fell. He almost did when he attempted to kick off the boxers, but Zoro was there, holding him steady with a gentle grip.

Keeping his gaze on the back of Sanji's head, Zoro helped the sick man step into the shower, and then closed the curtain behind him. He heard the deep sigh as Sanji relaxed into the hot spray of water and smiled softly to himself. Remembering the toothbrush, that was now sitting on the counter, he called out, "Do you mind if I use your toothpaste?"

"Go for it," Sanji replied, his voice muffled.

Zoro quickly brushed his teeth and then sat on the toilet, afraid to leave the sick cook alone in case he slipped in the shower, or something equally as dangerous. He was not going to take any chances after the last time.

While Zoro knew it was not unusual for people to get dizzy while feverish, it was still unnerving to see the other man so disorientated. Sanji was strong, and always had been. It was one of the reasons why Zoro had fallen for him, although it took a good amount of time before he recognized those feelings to be more than just respect.

He loved Sanji, everything about him. He loved his infuriating personality quirks, and even his stupid, swirly eyebrows. And being sick did not change his high regard for the man. If anything, seeing the blonde so vunerable made Zoro care about him more. A fact that he had not thought was possible.

"Hey, cook," Zoro said loud enough to be heard over the water, "How's your water heater? Will it stay hot for a while?"

The shower curtain pulled back enough to reveal Sanji's face and his dripping wet hair covered in suds, "Yeah, it should. Why?"

"Sit down and relax for a bit, I'll be right back." There was a slight pause, during which Sanji stared at him blankly. Zoro continued, seeing that he needed to explain further, "I want you to sit before I leave."

A curly brow raised incredulously before Sanji ducked back behind the curtain, "Fine. Give me a sec'."

A few moments passed, Zoro standing with arms crossed impatiently, "Are you sitting yet, baka-cook?"

"Hold on, I've almost got the conditioner out."

"Conditioner? Can't you rinse your damn hair while sitting?"

Sanji's response was the dull sound of skin squeaking against linoleum and a soft grunt as he settled in the tub. He heard Zoro open and close the bathroom door, leaving him alone in the steamy room. The water beat against his chest, droplets ricocheting in every direction. He closed his eyes, letting the water massage his exhausted body. The cool material of the bathtub was a pleasant contrast to the water, and it kept him from getting overheated as he rested his head on the edge of the bathtub.

Part of him wondered what Zoro was doing, but the rest of him was beginning to doze off. His head was still hurting, worse now than before due to his accident. The cut had stopped bleeding, but his skull still throbbed where the towel rack had struck him. He had had worse injuries, but the small head wound, combined with his cold, was turning out to be quite taxing.

He let his thoughts wander, and, unsurprisingly, they went in the direction of Zoro. The marimo had definitely surprised Sanji. While they considered each other to be close friends, they had never allowed themselves to be truly open in front of one another. And though it may seem that Sanji was the only one showing weakness in this situation, the blonde recognized that Zoro had been letting his own walls down. Showing up to take care of the cook, not hiding his concern and panic at Sanji's condition, was definitely a type of vulnerability.

Seeing such openness from the usually hard man was almost shocking to Sanji. He did not know how to respond to it, except to act like it was normal, even though both of them knew that it was anything but normal. However, one thing that Sanji could not ignore was that the shift in their relationship was making it harder for him to keep his feelings to himself. Perhaps this change would allow Sanji to be open with Zoro. But if the other man did not return his affections, could their friendship continue? _Is it worth the risk?_

The sound of the door opening had Sanji sitting up and wiping the water from his face. He pushed back the shower curtain so that he could see what Zoro was doing. The green-haired man slipped into the room, closing the door behind him to prevent the steam from escaping, and set a fresh pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt on the counter. He glanced down at the blonde, "You ready to get out?"

"Yeah," Sanji replied before shifting to turn off the water. The curtain opened as he began to stand, and he blushed when a steady hand grasped his elbow and helped him to his feet. When Sanji forced himself to look at the other man, he noticed that Zoro was staring at the wall in an attempt to avoid glimpsing at his nakedness. He could not decide if that made the situation more awkward, or if it made him less uncomfortable. While they had both seen each other naked, this was a whole new level of trust for them.

Sure, he wanted Zoro to see him stripped of his clothes and vice versa, but not while he was feverish and trying to keep the dam within his nose from breaking.

The minute Sanji was somewhat balanced, Zoro wrapped a towel around him and stepped back. When the other man turned to collect the clothes, the blonde quickly wiped himself down, making sure to get the private areas of his body first before the marimo turned back around. When Zoro finally returned, Sanji was somewhat dry and ready to get dressed.

"You have way too many pajama pants. Why do you even need pants for sleeping?" Zoro grumbled as he passed Sanji a dark green pair.

"Not everyone sleeps butt-naked like you. Some people have class," Sanji replied testily, taking the offered clothing. As he pulled them on without falling over - _Ha!_ \- he reached out for the shirt, but noticed Zoro staring blankly at his hips. Feeling the blush return, he snapped in embarrassment, "What? Why are you staring at me?"

Pale hipbones jutted out from the edge of the fabric, revealing the deep v of Sanji's hips. Zoro had told himself not to look, but how could he not when the pale muscles were right in front of him? Sanji was definitely chiseled, and it was downright mouth watering. However, hearing Sanji's confused question knocked some sense into him.

Zoro's head snapped up, his one eye staring in shocked embarrassment before he blinked and relaxed himself, "I forgot to grab boxers."

The cook shrugged, looking away as if he could care less that his best friend had been checking him out. The feverish flush to his cheeks made Zoro swallow nervously. Had Sanji realized what he had been doing? Was he-

"Don't worry about it. But I am getting cold…"

That admittance snapped Zoro out of his uncertainty and back into overprotective mode. He practically shoved the grey v-neck at Sanji, and looked away as the blonde pulled it over his head. He needed to control himself. Now was not the time to stare at his crush's sexy body.

Sanji finished dressing while Zoro took the damp towel and hung it up. The green-haired man watched as Sanji shuffled over to the bathroom counter and retrieved a hairbrush, his movements cautious and slow. Once the blonde hair was somewhat styled, he looked back at Zoro sleepily and sniffling softly.

"How's your nose?"

"It's a little better. The shower helped," Sanji replied, before covering his mouth to yawn.

"Good. Well, I want you to eat some more soup, and drink some water, but then you need to sleep. You look exhausted," He stated before stepping closer, "How's the cut on your head?" When Sanji gave him the go-ahead, Zoro examined the minor wound.

"It's fine. And some soup sounds great."

The small compliment to his cooking made Zoro's heart race, and he wished he could smack himself without looking like a lunatic. Instead, he nodded and helped Sanji walk to the couch. His steps seemed more steady, but Sanji definitely looked like he needed more rest. When Zoro had checked the head injury, he had also checked the sick man's temperature. He was still hot, but not as bad as he had been earlier.

Once Sanji was back within the plush depths of the comforter, Zoro went and nuked another bowl of soup. He brought the meal, along with a cup of water, and passed them to the cook who accepted the items eagerly. His sudden appetite was encouraging and Zoro hid a smile while he watched the man devour the noodles and gulp down the water. When Sanji was finished, he took the dishes back to the kitchen and rinsed them off in a half-assed attempt at cleaning.

Feeling a bit tired himself, Zoro returned to the couch and the sleepy blonde. Sanji was curled up tight, and the swordsman was unhappy to see that the cook was shivering again. Without giving himself a chance to talk himself out of it, Zoro reached over and pulled Sanji against him.

"Wha- what are you doing?" Sanji asked, not making a move to leave the strong embrace, but not relaxing into it either.

"You need to stay warm," Zoro said, his tone serious and not leaving room for argument. However, he did look away, an uncomfortable frown on his face, "Don't make it weird."

A few brief moments later, Sanji shifted so that his head rested on Zoro's shoulder, and his chest was curled against the other man's side. He closed his eyes, and shuddered softly as warmth crawled over his chilled muscles. Neither said anything in an attempt to not shatter the moment. Both wanting to hold each other, but not wanting to admit it out loud. At least for now, the closeness and warmth was enough.


	4. Chapter 4

Zoro was pretty sure that he was as close to heaven as he could possibly get.

The world outside had changed into that perfect "stay in bed" weather. The type that encouraged a different kind of happiness than what was normally inspired by bright and sunny days. Instead of blue, the wet sky was a comforting grey, and falling rain could distantly be heard underneath the soft sound of Saturday morning cartoons. The cool of the apartment was held at bay by the thick comforter, its squishy folds containing the warmth of its occupants.

However, the best part, and the reason why Zoro had begun to question his lack of belief in higher powers, was the fact that Sanji was asleep in his arms. Blonde hair tousled, and cheeks flushed, the curly-browed idiot was curled against his chest, fading in and out of his feverish sleep.

After the shower earlier that morning, Sanji had eaten more soup while waiting for his hair to dry. He had been supposed to go get in bed, but instead had passed out on the green-haired man. Zoro was not complaining.

The relaxed environment nearly tricked Zoro into forgetting his situation, and he had to refrain from trailing his fingers over the exposed skin of Sanji's arm, not wanting to cross what he considered an ethical line. Sure, they were currently in each other's arms, but the cuddling had been agreed upon by both parties. Gentle touching had not been included in the terms and conditions. Even if one of the parties was sick and half-asleep for the 'negotiations', whatever those had been.

In the end, it did not matter if there was a deeper meaning to it. If it was helping Sanji feel better, than Zoro would happily oblige, and if he also enjoyed said remedy, than that was okay, too. Or so he hoped. However, even with stating this within the safety of his head, Zoro still tried to keep his thoughts from straying into dangerous, potentially heartache-y, territory. It certainly helped to have one of his favorite childhood cartoons on as a distraction. So, instead of focusing on the stubbly cheek pressed against his pec, Zoro watched as a certain cat chased a certain mouse across the colorful screen.

The comedic skits of _Tom & Jerry_ never got old to him, and as he watched them within the company of his best friend, Zoro could not help but notice the similarities between him and Sanji, and the strange relationship of Tom and Jerry. Despite all of their pranks, mean or otherwise, the two animals definitely had a friendship of sorts. It reminded Zoro of his friendship with Sanji. They fucked with each other constantly, even physically attacking each other at times. Pranks and stupid squabbles were their bread and butter. So, in a lot of ways, they kind of acted like the two cartoon characters.

 _Though I doubt Tom is secretly in love with Jerry_ , Zoro thought grumpily before he could catch himself.

During a commercial break, Zoro pulled out his phone to finish the article he had been reading the night before. He was running out of remedies that could be done with his current supplies, and that fact was slightly frustrating. Though, it did seem like Sanji was feeling better, even if just slightly. He would have to make sure Sanji drank some more water when he woke up. Zoro continued to look at his phone since his constant internet surfing made him feel productive, even if he was having a hard time finding new information.

Sanji shifted as he began to wake up. He blinked his eyes slowly as he took in his surroundings. The cool, grey light was a pleasant greeting, but his attention was immediately focused on the familiar warmth that filled the space around him.

 _Zoro._

Instead of tensing up, as he usually did when he realized that he was cuddled up against his friend, Sanji remained relaxed within the other man's loose embrace. Zoro did not seem to mind, and he was tired of stressing about it. For a moment, he just wanted to enjoy it. Even his cold seemed to be on his side. While his fever was still there, the body aches had become hardly noticeable, and his nose did not seem to be revolting as much as before. Sanji still felt like shit, but less like he was dying, and he knew that Zoro was to thank for that.

Blue eyes tracked to the phone in Zoro's hands and the sick man could not help but chuckle sleepily. "What other remedies does Google suggest?" He teased, letting his eyes drift shut in comfort.

The green haired man glanced down at him and rolled his eyes in annoyance. However, when he responded, Zoro was obviously taking the question seriously. "There aren't many options without me going to the grocery store or something. I did see something about gargling salt water for your throat."

"I am not gargling salt water," Sanji stated, all joking gone as his brow creased with his frown.

"Stop being a wuss. If it helps your throat-"

"My throat isn't hurting anymore. I'm actually feeling a little better," The cook shot back in a way that probably made him sound less than honest. _Whoops_.

There was a short pause as Zoro considered that answer, before finally asking, "Really?"

Without looking, Sanji could picture the muscle-head's face. He'd be frowning, a look of suspicion in his grey eye, while preparing to start a fight with the blonde. If Sanji had been feeling 100%, they would have probably actually brawled over it. Just because.

"Are you just saying that 'cause you're a stubborn asshole, or are you actually feeling better?"

"Yes, really," Sanji grumbled, weakly jamming his elbow into Zoro's ribs. He was not surprised when a large hand pressed against his forehead for a few heartbeats. He did not blame Zoro, he would not believe him either. Sanji knew he was a difficult person when it came to his health, but that did not mean that he liked being called a liar. "I'm not lying, you jerk," He griped but, despite his irritation, Sanji could not help but enjoy the feeling of being cared for, especially by someone he deeply cared about.

"Your fever has gone down some," Zoro murmured, semi-happily, completely ignoring Sanji's annoyance. "That's good."

Suddenly his muscular pillow shifted beneath him, and all Sanji could do was groan in complaint. "Wha- whyyy?" He whined as Zoro lifted him and shoved a couch cushion under his head.

Laughing at the pathetic sounds coming from the blonde, Zoro stretched, "I'm going to the bathroom. I also want to make sure you drink something while you're awake."

All Sanji responded with was another pitiful groan. He could not help but grin when he heard Zoro's answering chuckle, and pushed himself off of the not-so-warm-by-comparison cushion. He loved the way Zoro laughed. It was a deep sound that either drove him mad with annoyance, or forced a smile onto his own face. The realization made his smile fade slightly, his heart aching uncomfortably.

Now alone in the living room, Sanji focused his attention on the cartoons playing out on the TV instead of that soft pain in his chest. A pain that had nothing to do with his cold. _Tom & Jerry_ was one of his favorites, and if he remembered correctly, it was one of Zoro's, too. _At least one thing we agree on_ , he thought with a smirk as he watched the slapstick acts for a few minutes before Zoro appeared once again.

"Hey, you're phone was going off," Zoro mentioned as he passed the couch, tossing Sanji's phone onto his comforter covered lap, "I think you got a text."

Picking up his phone, he scrolled through the small flood of messages in his inbox as Zoro began warming up some more tea. There were a few texts from the staff at the restaurant, as well as a few from his friends, none of which were Chopper, which he was grateful for. He loved the guy, but he really did not need to have the young doctor freaking out over him, especially when Zoro was doing such a good job. Not that he was biased or anything.

Sanji noted that a decent amount of the texts were from Usopp, and the long-nosed man sounded worried.

 **Hey. I heard you're sick. I didn't even know you could get sick LOL**

 **Oh man, you are sick, aren't you?**

 **Hey, are you okay?**

 **Sanji?**

 **Sanji?!**

 **Are you alive?**

 **Nami says you're probably sleeping. Text me if you aren't dead.**

The last two were fairly recent, probably the ones Zoro had heard. He quickly typed out a quick response to calm the man.

 **Hey. Yeah I'm alive lol**

 **Feeling better. Zoro came over and is taking care of me.**

Setting the phone aside, Sanji adjusted the blanket so that it covered his chest. With Zoro gone, the chill had slowly begun to return and was climbing across whatever parts of him lay exposed. _Strange. My fever seems to be going down, but I'm still cold._ As he was shifting in his seat, crossing his ankles in front of him, the phone buzzed again with a new message from Usopp. Sanji picked up the phone again, tucking his chin into the comforter, and chuckled when he heard Zoro curse quietly in the kitchen. _Who knew making tea could be so frustrating?_

 **Are you guys secretly dating?**

Sanji felt his stomach leap into his throat, his eyes going wide as he stared at his phone screen in shock. Had he ever let his crush slip to his friends? Even when drunk, Sanji had worked really hard to keep the fact he liked Zoro a secret, and Usopp was one of the last people he would have told. Even intoxicated Sanji was smarter than that. They were close friends, but Usopp sometimes had a hard time keeping secrets, especially when Robin and Nami were involved. So the text was shocking in more ways than one.

With panic stricken fingers, Sanji came up with a normal sounding reply.

 **NO! Why would you think that?! Wtf**

The experienced liar went straight to the most terrifying thing Sanji could think of.

 **Look, even Luffy can tell you like each other.**

This time, Sanji thought he might throw up. He had worked so hard to keep his feelings under wraps. Not just from Zoro, but from all of his friends. _AND EVEN LUFFY COULD TELL?!_

The knowledge that even the oblivious idiot of their group could tell he liked Zoro basically told him that everyone knew, and that was an anxiety inducing thought. It's not like his friends would make fun of him; they were supportive, and awesome, like friends should be. They were his family. But in this case, he feared they might actually pity him, or worse- try to help him. And Sanji definitely did not need their 'help'. Their type of assistance would basically include them playing matchmaker and making everything worse.

When Sanji had come out as bi, everyone had started trying to hook him up with guys. While that had only been mildly embarrassing, he did not need that to happen all over again. And he definitely did not need that to happen again with someone he actually liked! Especially since Sanji knew that he did not have a chance. He had made peace with that fact…

…

 _Zoro wasn't even gay!_

He knew he was taking too long to text back, but he was having a hard time calming his racing heart, let alone controlling his fingers to type out.. something. Anything. What was he supposed to say to that?

Sanji re-read the message again, holding back a whine of frustration and anxiety. However, this time, Sanji froze. A sudden realization whirring to life while the rest of him fell deathly still. He managed to make his stalled fingers type out the question that was causing his heart to start to race.

 **Wait. You think Zoro likes me?**

The response was almost immediate.

 **-_- you're both hopeless**

Sanji was in too much shock to realize that he had just basically admitted to liking Zoro.

The cook was still staring blankly at the TV when Zoro returned with a mug of steaming green tea. He accepted the cup with both hands, which had thankfully stopped trembling, and tried to force a normal, relaxed look on his features. His attempt at schooling his expression apparently failed because he could feel Zoro looking at him with mild concern. _They think Zoro likes me?_ Taking a sip of his tea, wincing when the hot liquid singed his tongue, Sanji tried to sort through his jumbled, overwhelmed thoughts.

 _There is no way. He's straight. I've known him for years. I would've been able to tell by now. He would've told me. Right? Right?! We never really discuss his love life. I don't even know if he is interested in dating. He never mentions it. I just assumed. What if he is gay? Or what if he's not? He's not. There's no way. Right?_

"Sanji?"

Nearly spitting out another too-hot gulp of tea, Sanji looked up at Zoro with wide eyes, "What?"

"I was asking if you are still cold, but you looked like you were zoned out," Zoro explained, one brow raised in confusion.

The blonde looked down at the tea as he tried to process his reply. He was still cold, but he could not tell how much of it was coming from the fever, and how much of it was from a desire to be close to the other man. He could not admit the latter, so he might as well respond with the former. At least that would mean that Zoro might hold him again...

"Yeah, I'm still cold," Sanji murmured.

There was a slight pause before Sanji noticed Zoro looking in the direction of the cook's phone. He knew the screen was dark, the sensitive message hidden, but he still felt himself stiffen.

"Is something wrong?" The marimo asked slowly, grey eye flicking to look into his blue one. "Did you get a text or something?"

With a decent attempt at sounding normal, Sanji replied, "No, nothing's wrong. Usopp was just asking how I was feeling." He took another sip of his tea, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Well, I must be failing at taking care of you then, because you look like you're about to pass out," Zoro said in a tone that seemed to have accepted Sanji's act, but also sounded a little guilty and disappointed.

The cook did not miss Zoro trying to hide the self-deprecating frown. _He's probably blaming himself,_ Sanji thought with a frown.

He sat back against the couch cushions, holding the comforter close as he continued to pretend to enjoy his drink. He could hardly taste it, his mind still spinning with heart-racing information. "No, I am feeling better," He reassured, "I think I just need to go back to sleep or something."

"Then go back to sleep," Zoro said in that stupid, insensitive tone that always infuriated the fuck out of the blonde. He knew Zoro was not trying to start a fight, but he would have kicked the stupid jerk if he had had the energy. "I'll be right back."

Once Zoro had disappeared back into the kitchen, Sanji felt his brain zone out again. Usopp and the others had to be wrong. Sure, they got it right when it came to him, but he had always been easier to read when it came to matters of the heart. It was still infuriating that they could tell, but in the end, it was not all that shocking. But they had to be wrong about Zoro. There was no way, and Sanji refused to let one comment change his game plan. He could not risk it. He would continue caring from afar, and enjoying whatever he could get.

 _Speaking of which_ , Sanji wondered with a slight frown, _will Zoro let me lay-_ He cut himself off, and stopped himself from trying to find a less intimate way to describe what they had been doing. _No, fuck it. Let's just call it what it is. It's cuddling._ He swallowed back the rush of emotions at the acknowledgement and continued. _Will Zoro let me cuddle with him again? He's bound to find it weird sooner or later._

The green-haired man appeared once more, this time with a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth, and a beer in his hand. "Beer? This early?" Sanji asked, brow raised in judgment.

"Shut the fuck up. You're just jealous," Zoro replied, his words muffled around the bread. He sat back down on the couch and placed his bottle on the coffee table. Sanji did not move, just continued to stare at the TV with a false neutral expression. "Are you gonna share the blanket or not?"

Sanji's heart was racing so fast that he was sure Zoro could hear it. "Oh. Yeah, sorry," He replied, shifting closer so that the comforter would also cover the other man. Before he could react, Zoro had an arm wrapped around his shoulders and was tucking him close. Sanji glanced up, peering at Zoro through golden fringe, his lips parted in wonder. The other man's steely gaze was on the TV as he stoically chewed on the toast. Sanji looked away again, and forced himself to focus on the show. Losing himself in a fictional game of cat and mouse was better than stressing over whatever was going on in the shitty marimo's brain, if there was anything going on there to begin with.

An hour or so passed with the two relaxing in companionable quiet and watching Tom and Jerry's ridiculous antics. Sanji had been slipping in and out of sleep, and it was beginning to wear on Zoro. Each time the blonde fell asleep, he would tuck in closer to Zoro's warmth, his lithe fingers gripping at Zoro's shirt, and his stubble covered cheek rubbing into Zoro's chest as his breathing deepened. When he re-awakened, Sanji would at first tighten his hold, until his mind seemed to realize where he was, and then a tenseness would form in his shoulders as he tried to secretly adjust his position to where it was less intimate.

Zoro felt his strength tested with each occurrence. All he wanted was to pull the cook closer, wrap his arms around the slender body, and bury his face in the blonde hair. To take in the distant scent that wafted on the air, faintly there but never enough to sate his hunger. To taste the chapped lips, and creamy skin. To feel the heartbeat against his own, the heartbeat that belonged to the man he had fallen in love with.

Instead, he watched Tom bite into a sandwich that contained Jerry, or so the cat assumed. Zoro smiled lazily, letting his mind relax and enjoy the show. Just as Jerry managed to escape the jaws of the grey cat, Sanji cuddled closer, fingers dragging over Zoro's abs. Gulping, Zoro shoved aside his sudden arousal, and glanced down at the blonde. The tensing of Sanji's muscles happened just as Zoro predicted, and he looked away before the blue eyes opened to survey the room.

"Mm," Sanji sniffled, squinting at the television screen sleepily. He yawned, and then began to sit up, muttering, "Can you pass me a tissue?"

The box was nearby, and Zoro quickly passed one to Sanji who quickly began blowing his nose. Zoro just continued to watch the show as the episode came to an end. It was quickly followed by another and the current episode was one of his favorites. Tom was standing on a stage and singing some type of opera, or so the green-haired man assumed. He did not consider himself an expert on fancy singing styles. Meanwhile, Jerry, who had been sleeping under the stage, woke up and was clearly frustrated by the 'rude-awakening'.

"Hey, which one of us is Tom and which one of us is Jerry?" Zoro asked randomly, leaning his head back on the couch as he watched Jerry try to ruin the cat's performance.

"You're obviously Tom, because Jerry is clearly smarter. Aka me," Sanji replied with a smirk, tossing the tissue into a trashcan that had been moved for his use.

Frowning in annoyance, Zoro growled out, "Well, Jerry is a dick, so I guess I can see that."

Without hesitating, Sanji kicked at the other man under the blanket. Wincing, Zoro shoved the blonde to the side. The action started a brief scuffle that had both of them chuckling by the end of it, Sanji with freshly messed up hair, and Zoro with some new bruises. Even while sick, the cook could deliver a strong kick. However, it had obviously worn the sick man out, and Sanji was soon collapsed against his shoulder once more. Both relaxed further into the cushions, the green-haired man's arm around the other and his head resting against Sanji's golden hair.

"Wait, why is Jerry a dick? He's not the one trying to _eat_ someone," Sanji asked, tone implying which animal he supported.

"Are you kidding me? Tom was just trying to have his concert, and Jerry ruined it. That's such a dick move."

"It was waking him up!" Sanji snapped.

"Then don't live under a music stage! Fucking moron," Zoro argued back, but neither had the energy to continue the fight so soon both men were just grinning in relaxed amusement.

The episode ended, and with it, the _Tom & Jerry_ marathon. A show that Zoro did not recognize began after a quick commercial break, and he was considering changing the channel when Sanji suddenly spoke, his tone calm and casual.

"Why are you taking care of me?"

Zoro froze, keeping his eye on the TV as his mind rushed to find an appropriate answer. _Because I want to make sure you are okay? Because I am worried about you? Because I love you?_

"Because you're an idiot who can't take care of himself," He replied gruffly, playfully knocking a fist against the blonde's head. But he still could not look down at those blue eyes that he could feel on his face. "Speaking of which," Zoro continued as he slipped out of Sanji's grip and stood up, "You need to eat. I'll go make some more soup."

He could feel Sanji watching him as he left for the kitchen, and once out of sight, he grabbed at his head in frustration. _Why can't I just tell him the truth? There's a chance he won't hate me for it. Maybe he'll even understand._ Zoro dragged a hand over his face, wincing with inner pain. _Maybe he'll even feel the same?_

Sanji watched the broad shoulders hunch a second before disappearing into the kitchen. He stared at the other man's shadow as it moved across the carpet until it disappeared on the tile. His heart was racing, his blue eyes wide as he played back the conversation in his head and remembered the text from Usopp.

" _Look, even Luffy can tell you like each other."_

Sanji stared down at his hands, bringing one up to touch where Zoro had been laying softly against his hair.

 _He likes me._


	5. Chapter 5

Hot water cascaded down Zoro's still form. The soap had long ago washed away, but he was still not ready to leave the safety and privacy of the shower stall. He was tired, and he needed a bit more time to himself so that he could collect his thoughts and re-strengthen his control.

The green-haired man was still not sure why this weekend was testing his limits more than usual, or why his feelings were closer to the surface. All he knew was that he no longer had the energy to handle any of it. The only thing that he could do was dwell on his current situation.

He loved Sanji. He loved Sanji so much. And that's precisely why he could not pursue the blonde.

Zoro knew the cook, better than most people, and the other man did not go for people like him. Not romantically, anyway. He had seen the ero-cook go through many relationships, and he had seen the type of people that he dated. He definitely did not fit the bill.

The girls were always beautiful, and delicate. The kind that would squeal with joy when Sanji brought them cheesy, romantic gifts. They would blush and giggle, and Sanji would grin and swoon like a total, fucking moron. That was back before they knew that Sanji was bi, but that announcement really did not change much.

The guys Sanji dated, and there had only been a few, tended to have a similar personality. They were cute, and fun, and would try and spoil Sanji as much as he spoiled them. It was sickeningly adorable, and definitely not Zoro's thing. Not to mention, most of them had been guys on the skinny side. Only one of them had been built similarly to Zoro, and that relationship had ended fairly quickly. Sanji still would not talk about it in detail.

 _Even if he did return my feelings, I wouldn't be what he needs._ Zoro's hand tightened into a fist in frustration, but he slowly relaxed it again. _When you love someone, you let them go. Isn't that the expression?_ Unsurprisingly, repeating that phrase did nothing to ease the pain in his chest.

He just had to wait until tomorrow. In the morning, he would leave, and let the lack of close proximity strengthen his resolve.

 _Just let him go_.

The ache dug deeper and Zoro continued to lean against the off-white tile, hiding his face in his forearm as he listened to the shower spray drone on.

The rumble of thunder shook Sanji from his millionth nap. He cracked open a blue eye, glaring in sleepy confusion at the cooking show Zoro had left on for him. The mosshead was still in the shower, but Sanji had no idea how long it had been since he went in there. It could have been an hour, or it could have been five minutes. Not that it mattered since Sanji had been dead to the world, off and on, for most of the day. However, the frequent rest was starting to pay off.

His fever seemed to be completely gone, leaving him with a deep exhaustion that could easily be fixed with multiple naps. His nose was still a little stuffy, but he could actually breathe through it now- and even smell things! Overall, he was feeling pretty damn fantastic, especially considering the fact that he had been feeling like death the past couple days. Even the body aches had faded, apparently having left to infect the weather. As if to prove his point, another clap of thunder rumbled loudly, and Sanji glanced out the window.

While it was only late afternoon, it looked like the darkest of nights had descended. He could hear the rain pouring heavily outside, and when the occasional bolt of lightning struck, he could see the storm pouring its guts onto the city. Sanji loved it. This type of weather was his favorite. However, it was hard to focus on the chaotic beauty of nature when his heart was still racing from his recent discovery.

Zoro liked him.

That was not something he had ever expected to think, let alone believe. Well, _mostly_ believed. The cautious part of the blonde's mind was still wanting more proof before it let the heart freak the fuck out, like it so wanted to do. Sanji mentally replayed the events from that day, and the day before, re-examining each moment.

Zoro had been his gruff self, and, while his concern for Sanji's wellbeing had been expected, Sanji remembered how tense the green-haired man had been. How deep the worry was in his grey eye, kept barely restrained by iron control. It seemed so out of place now, and Sanji was sure that he would have noticed it then, if he had not been disorientated with fever at the time.

Then the cuddling had happened. And Sanji had a feeling that the cuddling had gone on all night, seeing as how he woke up closer to the muscle-head than he had ever been before. Naturally, he had panicked. When you wake up wrapped around your secret crush, you tend to freak out. Zoro, on the other hand, had been so calm. In the moment, Sanji had been too freaked out to notice the weirdness of the green-haired man's reaction. But after the cuddling had continued to be a thing, Sanji felt that perhaps he should have re-evaluated the situation.

Being comfortable with cuddling a guy friend, even if they were cold and sick, was definitely a little odd. Not that either of them were normal to begin with, but Zoro had been so relaxed, and had not hesitated to pull the blonde into his arms. And, sure, Sanji might be able to wave those off as Zoro being his confident, doesn't-give-a-fuck self, but in his gut, he knew something was still wrong.

The energy that he was feeling from Zoro felt familiar. Something that had always been there, but something that Sanji had never focused on. It had been there when Zoro treated his head wound, and when he had helped him before and after the shower. It had been there when Zoro had cooked for him, and when he had figured out how to use a teapot- _Oh, yes, I totally noticed. Stupid, mosshead._ It had been there like a heartbeat that you only hear when you get closer to the source.

 _I need a cigarette._

The distant buzz of the shower suddenly fell silent, and Sanji sat up on the couch, adjusting the blonde fringe to sit correctly over his right eye. Until he gathered more evidence, Sanji would not act on his realization. Patience was key. He would keep looking for more signs that Zoro shared his feelings, and then from there…

The bathroom door opened with a cloud of steam, revealing Zoro in nothing but a towel. They made eye contact briefly before Sanji switched his gaze to the TV, not wanting to openly oogle the other man, not before he was certain. Though, he could still see Zoro walk over to his backpack, one hand at his hip to hold the towel in place as he dug through the bag.

"Hey," Zoro's voice had the blonde turning to look at him, "I forgot sweatpants. Can I borrow some of yours?"

Sanji noted the shirt balled up in the man's free hand before nodding with a swift shrug, "Sure. Go for it."

He watched as Zoro nodded appreciatively and headed back into the bedroom to change. Blue eyes traced the muscular back, eyeing up the tan skin in a way that was less than innocent. Frowning at his lack of self-control, Sanji turned to glare at the TV again but froze when he felt his nose start to run a tad bit more dramatically than usual. He snatched up a tissue and, when he pulled it away a moment later, he was surprised to find it stained red. _A nosebleed?_

He quickly stopped the flow of blood, using up a few tissues in the process, and stood up to throw them away. _I've known Zoro for years, but I don't think I've ever gotten a nosebleed over him…_ However, the question of 'why' seemed silly, since it was glaringly obvious to the cook. But it was still a first.

Then it hit him.

 _I guess I've never had hope before..._

The thought made a small smile pull at the corner of his mouth. But while that was all fine and dandy, Sanji did not appreciate his body getting excited when he still did not have definite proof! _I just have to be patient,_ Sanji thought as he buried the bloodied tissues at the bottom of the trashcan. He did not want to have to explain those to a certain mossheaded asshole.

 _I hate being patient._

Zoro returned to the living room running a towel over his head. He had found a pair of light grey sweatpants that fit him, and was now wearing them along with a loose, dark grey tank top. Feeling clean and comfortable, Zoro collapsed back onto the couch, appearing relaxed.

He was anything but.

His arms, which would usually be stretched out along the back of the sofa, were draped over his hips, no where near brushing against Sanji, and no where near stirring up the emotions he was trying to control. His steely grey eye was focused intensely on the TV, even though he could not give two fucks about how you cook a perfect beef stew. Or whatever it was they were throwing together in a pot. _It looks like beef stew... Maybe?_

Sanji was curled up in the blankets, and part of Zoro's mind hoped the other man was not cold. _But, you_ fucking _moron, even if he is cold, you can't do anything about it,_ Zoro reminded himself. He had to put a stop to this before he went crazy- well, more crazy. Just sitting this close to the blonde was making his heart beat heavily in his chest. _How did I let myself get this weak?_

His usual scowl soon settled back on his face, and, while he did not notice the way Sanji was secretly watching him, he had noticed the subtle energy shift between them. Things no longer felt as comfortable as they had been the past couple days, and that irritated the green-haired man even more. Despite their annoyance with each other, their friendship had always been relaxed, so this current complication was quite frustrating.

Zoro had to find a way to get things back to normal. Back to when he could control his feelings around Sanji, back to when they argued and fought like the old friends that they were.

"Hey, are you hungry?" Zoro asked, continuing to watch the TV chef cut up slabs of what he still assumed was beef. _Or maybe lamb? What does lamb meat look like?_

He felt the blue eyes glance at him, just before the smoky voice replied, "Actually, I was just about to ask about that. I'm hungry, but I think I wanna eat something more.. Solid?"

"Solid?" Zoro asked, with a deeper scowl, before turning to stare at the other man, "What does that even mean, baka-cook?"

A similar scowl darkened Sanji's face as he gave an un-amused huff, "Solid. Like, not liquid. Are you seriously that dumb?"

"Shut the fuck up," Zoro snapped, crossing his arms defiantly, "So. Not soup?"

Sanji stared at him, expression deadpan, before slowly stating, "No. Not soup." He rolled his eyes, and leaned back against the couch again, "I was thinking chicken and rice. Something simple."

Zoro immediately had memories of Sanji whipping together a quick chicken and rice meal to bring over to friends when they fell sick. He had never had it himself, but it always smelled amazing. However, the memory was soon replaced with a moment of panic as Zoro tried to imagine how one cooked chicken and rice. He supposed that the internet could tell him, but it sounded way more complicated than green tea with a tea pot.

With his one good eye staring blankly at nothing, Zoro tried to think of an easy solution without revealing, once again, his utter lack of cooking skills. His hyperactive thoughts were silenced when his best friend laughed.

"I wasn't expecting you to cook it. I don't want my kitchen destroyed. I can cook it-"

"Fuck that. You aren't cooking," Zoro bit out, clearly upset at the idea of Sanji working in his current state. There was a slight pause before he continued, "How 'bout I just order Chinese? That's the same thing, right?"

Sanji stared at him, his expression torn between amused and annoyed, "I mean. Not really. But I guess that's fine."

"Fine works," Zoro announced as he hopped to his feet and snatched his phone up from the arm of the sofa.

Sanji sighed. "There is a really good chinese place that delivers here. Their number's on the fridge," He pointed out helpfully before re-wrapping the blanket around his chest.

It took a minute for Zoro to locate the restaurant's brochure amongst the various notes and pictures that had been magnetized to the refrigerator, but once he found it, he quickly scanned the menu to locate various versions of chicken and rice. Once he had a mental plan of what he wanted to order, he dialed the delivery number and fished out another beer.

"Hey, yeah, I'd like to put in a deliver order-" Zoro began once he heard the employee's greeting.

"Zoro, come get my card!" A distant voice called from the living room.

He stepped over to the kitchen's entrance and glared at the blonde, while continuing to add dishes to their order. "Yeah, we're gonna need one dinner portion of the chicken fried rice." Zoro waved dismissively when Sanji pointed dramatically at his wallet that was sitting on the coffee table, just out of his reach.

" _Zoro!_ " The blonde hissed when Zoro turned back into the kitchen, listing off other items to the patient man on the phone. Zoro caught himself smirking in amusement at the clear frustration coming from the other room. However, the happy moment was quickly followed by his mind helpfully reminding him of his shitty situation, and his scowl returned. He just could not catch a break!

Once everything had been ordered, the green-haired man stepped back into the living room with a beer bottle against his lips. He froze when he saw Sanji sitting on the edge of the couch, pulling dollars from his wallet. "You're not paying me, idiot-cook. I ordered a lot and I plan on eating a lot. Just keep your money."

"I'm at least paying for the tip, since I know you probably forgot that you have to tip delivery drivers," The other man snapped as he shoved the bills in Zoro's direction.

With an eye-roll, he accepted the offered cash and shoved it into his pocket for later, "Fine. Will you shut up now?" He took a seat on the couch, still keeping his distance, but it still felt nice to have the blonde glare at him with familiar irritation. _That feels a little more normal._ However, Zoro still did not _feel_ normal. He still felt heartsick, but he distracted his thoughts by taking another swig from his beer. _I fucking hate this._

Something had definitely changed. The familiar ease that tended to stretch between them, no matter how much they annoyed each other, was shaken. Faded. Fraying. Sanji could not put his finger on it, because he barely understood what it was to begin with, but he could feel that something was different. And it terrified him.

He had just figured out that, perhaps, just maybe, Zoro liked him back, and now Zoro felt more cut off and distant than he ever had before. And all Sanji's mind could do was scramble through ideas and memories to try and find the moment when something had changed, to try and figure out how he could repair the connection that had apparently been damaged.

Glancing over at the other man, Sanji studied him from behind his blonde fringe. Zoro was on his fourth beer. He would like to say that the beer was another sign of Zoro's inner turmoil, but everyone knew the man just liked to drink. Sanji ignored that detail and kept looking.

His usual scowl had returned, which was not truly shocking, but it showed that the green-haired man was thinking through something. And if the energy in the room was telling Sanji anything, it was that whatever Zoro was contemplating, it had something to do with the sudden rift between them. That at least clued Sanji into the fact that he was not the only one affected in this situation.

When Zoro's gaze flicked from the TV and over to him, Sanji quickly glanced away and hoped he did not look suspicious. "How is your head?" The deep voice asked.

Processing the question, Sanji assumed he was referring to where he had hit his head on the towel rack. He raised a hand to the small cut, "It's fine. My head doesn't hurt or anything."

There was a slight moment of obvious hesitation before Zoro shifted closer to inspect the wound himself. Sanji allowed it, all too happy to have Zoro close to him again. He caught himself inhaling softly when callused fingers brushed against his forehead, sweeping his hair out of the way in the process. When the other man pulled back, Sanji immediately missed the gentle touch and he mentally scolded himself.

"It looks fine," Zoro muttered as he once again moved to the other end of the couch, "And your fever seems to be gone."

"Yeah, I think it broke earlier today. I feel better, just tired," Sanji confirmed as he fixed his bangs to sit the way he liked.

Zoro grunted, "Good," and then turned back to the TV. Which was another sign that something was wrong. _Zoro hates cooking shows._

"Hey, we don't have to watch this," Sanji said as he re-crossed his legs under the blanket, "We should put in a movie or something."

"Oh, sure," The other man replied, seeming distracted, and obviously not paying attention to what was on the television screen. "What do you wanna watch?" Zoro asked as he got up to go over to the small collection of movies, "I don't wanna watch a chick-flick."

Sanji could not help but groan in annoyance, "We don't have to watch one, you immature ass. Pick an action movie or something. But I'm sick of those old samurai movies, so pick something not so sword obsessed."

The green-haired man growled and was about to no doubt chew Sanji out for his lack of respect when there was a knock on the door. With a glare, Zoro stood up and moved towards the apartment's entrance, "Just pick a damn movie. Picky bastard."

"I'm picky?! You have got to be kidding me!" Sanji griped as he removed himself from the couch and relocated to where he could sit and select a DVD. He did not look up as Zoro opened the door and took the bags of food, though he did catch the small 'thank you' the delivery guy said when he received his tip.

"Did you choose one yet?" Zoro asked in his usual, infuriating tone that still felt like it was lacking the usual fire. "Or are you still being picky?"

"Shut the fuck up. I picked one," Sanji replied, grabbing a random movie and putting it in the player. He glanced down at the disc before it disappeared inside the machine. Apparently, they were going to watch _Aliens_. That worked for him, and when the title screen came up, Zoro seemed to approve. They quickly opened the bags of food and laid it all out on the table. The smell was amazing, and Sanji's stomach growled appreciatively.

"Hey, I'm gonna get another beer. Do you want more tea, or something?" Zoro asked as he stood up.

"Yeah, thanks," Sanji replied as he broke open his chopsticks. However, once he was alone, he retrieved his phone and typed out a quick message to Usopp. He was still hesitant to confide in the long-nosed man, but Sanji was getting desperate. Blue eyes glared at the screen, and the unsent text it contained, before he hit the send button. _Fuck it._

 **Do you really think Zoro likes me?**

The response did not come until Zoro was back in the living room and digging into a bowl of beef and steamed rice. The phone beeped twice in quick succession, letting him know that Usopp had sent more than one text. Sanji casually picked up his phone, even though his heart was racing, and read the message as the opening credits kept the other man's attention.

 **Yes.**

 **Why? Gonna confess your love? ;P**

Hiding his scowl, Sanji sent back: **Stfu. I just don't believe it.**

Another brief pause and then Usopp's reply made his phone vibrate quietly. This time, Sanji was convinced that someone else had typed out the response. It would not surprise him if Nami was now involved. The thought did not terrify him as much as he had thought it would. _I really am desperate._

 **Just go for it, Sanji. Even if Zoro doesn't like you back, it's better than not knowing. Right?**

His heart was racing again, and Sanji set his phone aside to take a much-needed bite of chicken fried rice. He knew they were right. And he knew he should just ask Zoro. However, he was _really_ hungry. Perhaps he would do it after eating dinner. That would calm his nerves, or something.

 _You're stalling._ Sanji mentally growled, but once the food touched his tastebuds, he welcomed the delicious distraction from his stressful dilemma. _I'll think about it once my stomach is full,_ Sanji decided as he began to devour the much-needed meal.

Zoro shoved another glob of meat and rice into his mouth, trying to enjoy the flavor but realizing that his mind was too distracted for even that simple of a task. Still determined, he diligently chewed and swallowed, chasing down the food with the last of his beer. He would have to fetch another one. Perhaps he could drink enough to actually feel the effects; that could be distracting. Maybe. His scowl deepened, and he glared at the TV as one of his least favorite characters said something irritating.

He was happy that Sanji was feeling better, he really was. It was not like he wanted Sanji to stay sick. If anything, Sanji being sick was making it harder for Zoro to collect his emotions back behind his walls. The walls that had been stupidly lowered, despite Zoro knowing better. He sank further back into the couch, arms crossing over his chest as the annoying character continued to spout his bullshit.

However, as much as he hated Burke, Zoro knew that that was not why he was currently so angry.

If he was being honest with himself, it did suck that Sanji was feeling better because when the love-cook was sick he needed Zoro. With the fever gone, Sanji was no longer cold, he did not need to cuddle against Zoro for warmth. He did not need him to make him tea, or cook him soup. He did not need to be there to help him walk to the bathroom, or to let him lean against him when his muscles grew tired from the strain of standing.

Sanji did not need him.

 _I don't know why you're so fucking upset,_ Zoro growled to himself. _You knew he didn't need you. You knew what this meant from the beginning- Just helping out a friend. He doesn't need you for more than friendship. You've known that, you fucking moron._

 _Just fucking let him go._

He knew he needed to get out of there, to go back to his own apartment where he could drink until he could not think straight, and train until his muscles gave out on him. That would do the trick, he just knew it. However, the thought of leaving made his chest ache with a pain that disgusted him. He felt so weak.

Zoro knew he should leave. _But Sanji said he's still tired… he might still need help. I should stay. At least until he's fully better… I'll stay one more night. Just in case. And then I'll leave, and all of this will just be a painful memory._

With that settled, Zoro felt a little better. He did not have to leave, not yet. However, he would not admit that the knowledge that he could enjoy Sanji's company for a little bit longer made a part of him relax with pure joy. To counteract the moment of weakness, Zoro made the decision to sleep on the couch and somehow get Sanji into the bed. A little bit of separation would probably help settle his heart.

There was only so much more that he could take before he lost control.

A few hours passed and the storm continued its rampage outside. Emergency alerts had gone off on both of their phones, warning them of flash flooding and dangerous weather, and it made Zoro glad that he had decided to stay the night. The drive home would have been infinitely more difficult if the roads were overflowing with rainwater. And his inevitable detours could have proven dangerous.

So, instead of risking his life in the weather, he continued to recline and watch the credits roll on _Alien: Resurrection_. He did not actually like that movie, but they had decided to continue the series as they ate. Sanji had passed out during Alien 3, and had stayed asleep while Zoro finished the rest of the food and the rest of the marathon.

Zoro traced a finger over the rim of his beer bottle, glancing over at the sleeping blonde. He was ready to go to sleep himself. Both his mind and his body were exhausted. The emotional stress of the past few days had really taken its toll on the usually stoic man. However, he knew he would have to move Sanji if he even wanted a chance at getting a good night's sleep. The likelihood of cuddling happening was too high for him to risk sharing the couch again.

Setting the empty bottle aside, Zoro stood and quickly gathered the blanket covered Sanji in his arms. The head of blonde hair fell against his shoulder, and he could feel Sanji's breath on his exposed neck. Chillbumps spread across his tan skin, and he frowned in frustration. Moving quickly, Zoro carried the sleeping man into the other room and laid him down on the cold sheets. He pulled the comforter out from around Sanji and then gently draped it across the entirety of the bed.

Just as he was about to walk away, and put all of this behind him, Sanji groggily opened his eyes. He squinted up at Zoro before closing his eyes again and reaching out to blindly grab onto Zoro's wrist.

"Stay," The blonde sleepily muttered.

"Why?" Zoro caught himself asking before he could stop himself.

"I'm still cold," Sanji mumbled as he curled up further on the bed, but still holding onto the other man with a tired grip.

His frown deepened at the admittance and Zoro leaned forward to check the cook's forehead. "You haven't had a fever all day. Did it come back?" He asked as he touched the cool skin under the blonde fringe.

Suddenly the grip on his arm tightened and before he could react, Sanji was pulling him onto the bed. With a startled yelp, Zoro threw out an arm to brace himself over the still half-asleep cook. He stared down at the blonde, who had not opened his eyes, a look of contentment on his pale face.

With a conflicted frown, Zoro hesitated before finally giving in and adjusting so that he was laying on his side with his back to Sanji. If he was going to have to stay, he was at least not going to look at the other man. It would be best if he just pretended that the cook was not even there.

But much to Zoro's dismay, it turned out that there were things much worse than watching Sanji sleep. For instance, Sanji cuddling up against his back and wrapping an arm around his torso. Or the feeling of long fingers tickling against his stomach, and the sensation of soft hair pressing against his back.

However, the worst thing, the thing that Zoro never expected to happen in a million years, was the puff of warm breath against his skin as Sanji murmured, "I love you."


	6. Chapter 6

A few minutes passed, each one filled with dozens of stuttered heartbeats. Zoro had not moved since Sanji had spoken the words that had frozen him in place. The blonde was still asleep, unaware of the panic he had caused with his sleep talking. One arm was draped around Zoro's waist, while his legs had curled up behind Zoro's knees. Sanji's warmth spread into his tan skin, further overwhelming the green-haired man.

 _There's no way he meant it. He's probably dreaming- dreaming of someone else. There's no way._

Zoro stiffened again when he felt the cook nuzzle into his shoulder blade, exhaling softly as he continued to sleep.

 _There's just no way. Sanji doesn't like me like that. We're just friends, just like we've always been._

He tried to think back, to see if there was a sign that he had missed. Memories flashed of every moment in their friendship that had made his heart race. Each one had been staunchly ignored and explained away, but now his hope timidly stepped forward. It looked at their history without being clouded by denial or fear, reevaluating things that Zoro had once denied.

All of the accidental touches. All of the soft smiles when Sanji did not think he was looking. The passion when they argued, and the way Sanji always had his back without hesitation.

It quickly became apparent that there were countless small gestures that showed the cook actually did care. However, remembering each moment only made Zoro's chest tighten painfully, and his eye prick with tears. _There's no way that Sanji..._

 _That Sanji..._

 _...loves me._

Thinking the very words, that Sanji had murmured while asleep, was enough to push Zoro's fragile control past the limit. With something that was most definitely not a choked sob, Zoro untangled himself from the cook and staggered to his feet. He ran stiff fingers through his short hair as he stumbled towards the door before the tears could fall.

He needed to get away, to breath, to try and think, or at least not think for a few much needed minutes. However, his rough movements had woken the cook, and as he reached for the door, he heard a concerned voice come from the bed.

"Zoro?" Sanji murmured as he pushed himself to a sitting position, leaning on one arm as he rubbed his visible eye with the other, "What's wrong?"

Every muscle in Zoro's body was stiff as his emotions threatened to drown his sanity. He did not turn at the question, hand frozen on the doorknob as he considered running, or confronting Sanji once and for all.

 _I can't stand it anymore. I thought I could do this, but I just can't anymore. I'm tired of being scared, and I'm tired of running. I need to know. I need to know if he was talking about me. If he actually meant it. I need to know. I need to know._

"Hey, are you okay?" Sanji asked, sounding more awake.

The risk of losing Sanji still terrified him, but he was so tired, and this had become too much for him to handle. And if his only two choices were running or fighting, then he would pick the latter. Running did not settle well with his pride.

So, without turning to face the blonde, Zoro spoke, his voice rough but quiet, "Do you like me?"

Silence met his ears, and Zoro discovered a new level of panic. His heart beat frantically, his limbs aching from being held so rigidly. _I should just go. I should not have asked. No! Fuck that. I'm not a coward. But he obviously doesn't like me. Fuck, I hate this._

"Yes."

Zoro almost did not hear Sanji's response over the pounding in his ears, but when the soft words registered, everything within his mind went quiet. He turned around, a confused frown firmly in place, as he made eye contact with the cook. Sanji was sitting, legs crossed, and fists resting on his knees. He was tense, his body language showing his own nervousness at his confession. However, his eyes, those ocean blue eyes, were confident.

"What?" Zoro asked, his voice still low and rough with barely contained emotion.

Sanji's hands tensed even further, but he spoke clearly and without hesitation, "Yes, I like you." He paused for a brief moment before adding, "I love you, actually."

 _I said it. Can't take it back now. It's out._

And while Sanji definitely could not believe that he had said it, those three words that could make or break a relationship, the cook realized that he did not regret it one bit. The lack of regret was extremely encouraging, but the way Zoro was staring in frozen panic was slightly less so. But even that did not make him take back his words.

The green-haired man had been pulling away for reasons that Sanji could not understand, and he had been harboring these feelings for too long. It was time. He just hoped that their friendship did not end because of it.

When Zoro continued to stare blankly at him, Sanji had to refrain from teasing him. Calling the other man a 'mossheaded idiot' would probably not help the situation. So, instead, he asked in a calm, natural tone, "Do you like me?"

Apparently the question was a bit too soon, because he could see a sudden decision harden Zoro's features. Whatever it had been, Sanji feared he would not like the answer. The grey eye looked away, just as the other man began to turn towards the door once more.

"No. I'm sorry."

 _Yup, definitely don't like that answer._

Sanji frowned, a scowl forming with ease. He had been prepared for Zoro to say such a thing, but he just could not believe the other man, especially when it was so clearly not the truth. He knew Zoro well enough to know when he was lying. He had long ago learned the signs; the lack of eye contact, the added gruffness in his voice, the shift of his shoulders as he took on the weight of the lie.

Zoro could not lie to Sanji, and definitely not about this. He would not allow it.

"Bullshit," Sanji growled, his fingers clenching onto his knees in anger, "Don't lie to me, Zoro."

"I'm not-"

Before Zoro could even finish the second lie, Sanji got up from the bed and quickly cleared the space between them. Rage crackled in his gaze as he grabbed the arm of the startled man, preventing him from leaving, and growled out a response. "Stop. Don't lie again. Don't insult me by lying to my face twice."

His fingers tightened their grip and he continued, "I _know_ you like me."

The other man hunched his shoulders defensively. When Zoro still refused to face him, Sanji forced him to turn. He studied what he could of the downturned face, noting the painfully clenched jaw.

Sanji took a moment to breath. He did not want to fight, did not want to turn this into an argument, so instead he gently touched Zoro's chin and lifted his gaze. Their eyes met just as the blonde spoke, his voice going soft as he asked, "Why are you lying?"

When he saw the pain etched on the other man's expression, and the fear in the single, grey eye, Sanji let his hand slip down to hold Zoro's fist. He traced a thumb over the knuckles, feeling the rough skin. Sanji knew a simple touch would not show how much he cared. He knew that he would need more than that to get past Zoro's walls. However, he did not have many options except for remaining open and vulnerable, and encouraging Zoro to do the same.

With a soft, determined gaze, he uncurled Zoro's fingers and took the now relaxed hand in both of his. Sanji then repeated his earlier confession, "Zoro, I love you."

Panic, pure panic, raced through Zoro's system, making his blood freeze and his breath quicken. _Zoro, I love you._ The words he had dreamed of hearing time and time again but had never dared to believe could be real. But now that it was real, he did not know what to do.

He had been resisting this for so long that his whole system was locking up in uncertainty. Adrenaline made it hard to think, and he just wanted to breath, to get some much needed oxygen to his brain so that he could just _process_.

His thoughts slammed into each other, making it hard to pick out one from the other in the traffic jam of his mind. _I'm not what he needs. He seems honest. I want him so badly. He loves me?_ Zoro knew he should stay and figure it out, but he just wanted to get away for a minute, to re-group. This was a fight he was not equipped to handle.

"I'm sorry," Zoro muttered, and managed to pull the door open before a barefoot slammed it shut, jerking the knob from his hold. Before he could think to react, a knee slammed into his side and knocked him into the wall.

Two slender hands were suddenly there, pressing against his chest and keeping his back against the wall. One thought managed to slip through Zoro's cluttered head: _He's using his hands._ The realization made the green-haired man blink in surprise. _He never uses his hands to fight..._ Despite his shock, the realm of physical force was calming to Zoro, who was currently way out of his comfort zone. His fighting instinct kicked in, forcing away panicked emotion and replacing it with still alertness.

This allowed him to make eye contact but he immediately regretted it when he saw the pain in Sanji's eyes. The anger that lay naked in that hurt gaze, the rejection that burned through his tense limbs, was like a punch to the gut. Guilt clawed through Zoro as he realized he was the reason for Sanji's pain.

Hurting Sanji was the last thing he had wanted. Avoiding such a situation was the entire reason for keeping his feelings to himself in the first place.

"Zoro, please, just be honest with me," Sanji begged, hands turning to fists. Eye contact was broken as the cook let his head hang in defeat. Soft blonde hairs brushed against Zoro's chest, and he thought he felt a tear or two soak into his shirt. The other man's next words were whispered against his chest, just above his heart. "I don't want apologies. I just need you to be honest with me."

 _Sanji needs something from me._

 _He needs honesty._

In a voice barely above a whisper, Zoro finally voiced the truth.

"I love you, too."

Sanji looked up, curly eyebrows shooting up in shock as a smile began to grow on his face. The pure happiness in his blue eyes made Zoro's reservations melt a little more. _Well, you said it. Might as well own up to the rest of it._ Zoro set his jaw and continued, "I've loved you for a long time."

The smile turned to chuckles which turned into laughter as Sanji stepped away to grip his sides, "Oh my god, we are both idiots!"

Frowning immediately, Zoro responded sharply and automatically, "Tch. Don't lump me in with your dumbass."

"Shut up," The blonde snapped, while still chuckling. He settled down, a grin still splitting his cheeks as he explained, "I've liked you for forever, but I thought…" He looked down for a moment, his smile growing before he looked back up at the scowling man, "I never dreamed you would like me back."

The scowl deepened with confusion. "What? But I'm not your type."

The cook cocked his head, his eyebrows dipping in a frown, but his smirk remained, "What the fuck are you talking about, Marimo?"

It was clear that this only added to Zoro's confusion as he crossed his arms and stared hard at the blonde. He hesitated as he attempted to gather his thoughts before he eloquently explained himself. "You like all those skinny guys, who are adorable and shit. The exact opposite of me."

He did not miss the blush that lit the cook's cheeks, or the way he tried to cover it up by adjusting the blonde fringe over his eye. Sanji finally sighed, "Yeah, they were the exact opposite of you. But that's because I was trying to not think of you." He paused, the blush deepening before he smirked again and added, "And for the record, I think you're pretty adorable."

Zoro responded to the last comment with an annoyed wave of his hand, refusing to think of himself as adorable. He instead focused on the first, and more important, admission, "What? What do you mean?"

Sanji exhaled softly, running a hand through his hair. It was clear that he was uncomfortable, but was still determined to explain himself. "Look, Zoro. You're what I want, but I didn't think you were interested, and I didn't want to risk our friendship. I tried going out with someone like you, but it just hurt worse. So I dated people that would not remind me of you. But those didn't work out either because _you_ are what I want. I love _you_ , Zoro."

A mere heartbeat passed, but in that moment, Zoro took in the man before him. The blush fading on the fair cheekbones, the stupid curly brows relaxed over deep blue eyes. The eyes that were watching him expectantly. The honesty, the happiness, and the love in that gaze called to him and he felt his own consciousness respond to it.

 _Why was I so afraid? Why did I waste so much time?_

He then decided to make up for that mistake by not wasting a moment more.

Zoro lunged forward. He gathered the cook in his arms while his lips pressed firmly against the other man, savoring the feel of finally kissing Sanji. He felt slender hands wrap around his waist, fingers digging desperately into the muscles of his back.

A quick tongue slipped past his teeth, intimately exploring the new territory, while allowing Zoro to do the same. He clung just as needily to the other man, inhaling his scent and devouring his taste as he moaned softly, completely lost in the kiss.

Blunt nails pulled against the fabric of his shirt, and Zoro gasped when he felt Sanji push his hips against his own. When that was apparently not enough pressure, the cook shifted his hands to Zoro's ass so that he could grind their growing erections together. Sanji growled against his lips, pleasure skittering down both of their spines at the harsh contact.

The desperate need in the kiss was overwhelming, and Sanji just could not get the other man close enough. Finally deciding that removing clothes would help, the blonde slipped his hands under Zoro's shirt, feeling the smooth skin of his back, and hiking the offensive material up and out of his way.

Zoro forced himself to step back so that he could remove the shirt completely. They made eye contact briefly as they panted, before Sanji pulled his gaze away so that he could take in the image of a shirtless Zoro.

Now that he was allowed to stare, he would memorize every dip of tanned skin, each bulge of firm muscle.

Sanji stepped forward again, letting his fingers trail down the toned stomach, further exploring the perfection before him. He leaned forward and latched his mouth onto Zoro's neck, nipping harshly as he tasted the flavor of the other man.

The groan he received for his actions spurred him on as he let one hand drop lower to palm at the hardness hidden behind the green-haired man's pants. This drew another moan that rumbled against his mouth, and he felt Zoro's grip on his hips tighten. _That's gonna leave bruises,_ Sanji thought with a smirk.

" _Sanji_ ," Zoro hissed against the other man's ear before he growled out, "I need you naked, and on that bed, _right now_."

Breath coming in ragged bursts, Sanji moved away to pull his shirt over his head. He felt the steel eye on his exposed skin, and dipped his thumbs into the edge of his pants, pushing them down enough to reveal more of the v of his lower abdomen. The heat of Zoro's gaze followed his movements, and Sanji exhaled slowly, eyes half-lidded, as he looked up to watch the aroused expression on the other man's face. He let out a breathless chuckle and smirked teasingly.

That steel eye met his and Sanji felt himself twitch heatedly.

Zoro looked like a beast about to attack. Fierce. Hungry. The very thought sent shivers down Sanji's spine as he took a few unbalanced steps backwards until he fell onto the bed. He did not break eye contact as he leaned back onto his elbows, letting his own toned abdomen flex with each harsh intake of air. "Well, I'm not going to do all of the work, mosshead. And my pants aren't coming off until yours do."

Zoro raised a brow at the challenge, but a dangerous smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth as he slowly lifted his hands and pushed the sweatpants off of his hips. The article of clothing fell to the ground with a soft sound, and Sanji found himself staring. _Of course he doesn't wear boxers._

 __If Sanji had needed any more evidence to believe that Zoro liked him, he definitely had it now. The other man's erection stood between them. It was long and thick, a size that could certainly be called intimidating. The flushed tip was wet with pre-cum, and the bulging vein along the underside was just begging to be licked.

Sanji had seen Zoro naked before, but never when he was hard, and he had to admit that the other man had a cock that could easily make a lover scream.

And _oh_ how he wanted to scream.

Sanji thought he would come right then and there from anticipation alone. He wanted that heavy cock buried inside of him, needed it.

"You got a little drool there."

"Shut it," Sanji snapped, wiping at lips still wet from their kiss.

"Scared, shit-cook?"

The blonde did not need to look up to know the other man sported that infuriating smirk. He looked anyway, and immediately glared. His mouth turned down in an unimpressed frown as he growled out, "I can take whatever you've got, bastard."

This only made Zoro's smug expression darken further with that animalistic desire that Sanji had only fantasized about. Having such a look turned on him made his blood rush south while heat spread throughout his entire being. He needed Zoro in him as soon as possible.

The other man seemed to share this sentiment because he was suddenly there, one arm holding his bulk of muscles up as he locked lips with Sanji again, his free hand pushing Sanji's bottoms off.

Zoro's hot tongue was everywhere, making it hard to focus, but the cook managed to help kick his boxers and pants free while keeping his hands on the other man's bare ass. He dug his fingers into the firm muscle and forced their cocks to press against each other. Sanji groaned in desperation, his hips canting against Zoro needily.

With considerable effort, Zoro sat up while Sanji scooted back to lean against the pillows, looking up at Zoro with a whine. The cook's fair skin was flushed, his long cock hard, beautiful, and dripping with want. Zoro eyed up the other man, his stare lingering on the other man's member. His own desire was burning through him until it was hard to think about anything besides burying himself in Sanji, or letting the blonde fill his own hole.

He did not know if Sanji was a top or bottom, and at this point he did not care. Zoro just needed Sanji in one way or the other. However, before that, he wanted to explore every part of the other man, and he was going to start with that glorious cock.

"I wanna blow you," Zoro stated, looking down at the blonde who squirmed at his words. He vision narrowed to Sanji's hand as the blonde pulled at his aching erection. He noted the way Sanji's dick twitched under his steely gaze, begging to be devoured.

Sanji could not possibly put into words how much he wanted that hot mouth on his dick, but there were lots of other things that he wanted, things with higher priorities. "I want you to blow me, too. _Fuck_ , I want you to blow me _really_ bad. But I want you to fuck me more. Or I can fuck you. I don't care, I just need it _now_ , Zoro."

This made the green-haired man chuckle as he crawled between Sanji's legs, taking a moment to nuzzle against a bent knee. He made eye contact as he dragged his teeth down the inside of Sanji's thigh, getting closer and closer to the man's aching and straining cock.

"I know. I need it, too," Zoro murmured hotly. "I want to fuck you until you scream, and I want you to fuck me until I can't feel anything else but you," He growled as his breath ghosted over Sanji's crotch.

The other man was nearly in tears as he whined, blue eyes glazed over with need.

"But I also want to taste you, and make you lose yourself in pleasure with nothing but my tongue." Zoro then took the blonde's hot member in one hand, forcing Sanji to release his own grip, and as he placed his mouth just over the head, he looked up and asked, "Did you really think you were getting any sleep tonight?"

The cook cried out and threw his head back against the pillows when Zoro took him in. His mouth was all wet heat, and delicious pressure. He thrust up into it, feeling the throat open up to accept him, and Sanji nearly blacked out from the pleasure. Zoro let him jerk up again, easily deepthroating him, but the action brought Sanji dangerously close to the edge. Everything was too much, too good.

The green-haired man seemed to sense this, because he brought up his hands to hold down Sanji's hips, and then proceeded to pull back, letting his tongue explore the shaft and lap at the tip.

That single grey eye watched him as Zoro took him deep once more before lifting back up, hollowing his cheeks as he sucked harshly. Sanji whimpered loudly, his hands, which had been buried in the sheets, now clung onto the short green strands desperately.

"Fuck. Zoro, I need to come," He gasped out, trying to jerk further into that warmth, but Zoro held him still as he took him to the base again. "Zoro! I'm- wait-!"

Sanji pulled on Zoro's hair, not wanting to come in his mouth without warning, but the action just made the other man growl as he sunk down again and then _swallowed._ The pressure, which had already been too much, became unbearable, and Sanji was suddenly coming. He cried out as he shot his release down that hot throat, feeling the muscles contract around his sensitive member.

Zoro swallowed again so that he would not choke, but all he could focus on was the taste of Sanji as it assaulted his mouth. Sanji's flavor was amazing, and better than Zoro had dreamed it would be. He pulled back a little so that he could suck on the head, dragging each delicious drop from the blonde who was currently writhing beneath him. He swallowed the last of Sanji's release and began to run his tongue up the shaft, lapping up any that had managed to elude him. The cook was limp by then, twitching at the gentle licks.

"That-" Sanji stopped panting to swallow and then continued, "That was the best blow job I've ever had."

"Of course it was," Zoro grinned, wiping at his mouth before leaning down to slip his tongue between the other man's lips. The blonde moaned lightly into the kiss, arms draping over the broad shoulders. The kiss did not last long, both men separating to pant softly.

Sanji let out a breathless chuckle. "Cocky bastard."

"If I get to have you," Zoro explained as he kissed down the pale chest, pausing to nibble on a taut nipple, "then you will only have the best." Sanji shivered beneath him, still overly sensitive to the slightest touch. Blue eyes, half-lidded, watched him as he trailed further down, lips tasting the salty skin of his taut abdomen.

Enjoying the attention, Sanji ran his fingers through the other man's hair, letting one hand drop to play with the three golden earrings. He could feel his second wind already gathering, his cock twitching to life as he watched Zoro worship his body with his mouth. The bastard was really far too sexy for his own good, and Sanji knew that he would never be able to get enough.

As Zoro returned to kissing his neck and ears, he asked against flushed skin, "Do you want to top?"

Sanji thought about the question, aware that he would definitely want to take the other man, but not yet. Right now, all he wanted was to be full of the other man. His imagination was still going wild at the idea of that large dick filling him up.

"I want you in me," Sanji replied, his member hardening as he felt teeth on his earlobe.

"Do you have lube?" Zoro asked, hot breath skittering across Sanji's ear and making him shiver.

The blonde nodded, near frantic with building lust, and waved at the nightstand, "In the drawer."

Sanji sat up when Zoro moved away to retrieve the small bottle. He ran a hand through his damp hair, eyes following the muscles of the other man's back, watching as they rippled and flexed with each movement. Groaning softly, he fell back onto the cushions, his member once again hard and tight against his stomach. He ached for the green-haired bastard.

When Zoro returned, he already had a decent amount of lube on his fingers and was attempting to warm it. Sanji could care less, he just wanted to feel the other man inside. He quickly rolled onto his stomach, rotating his hips so that his ass was presented to the other man. He looked over his shoulder just in time to watch Zoro freeze up, his one eye wide.

"Like what you see, Marimo?" The blonde teased as he leaned onto his elbows, mischievous grin on his face.

"Fuck," Zoro murmured as he crawled closer, his dry hand grabbing one globe of muscle and spreading him open. His tight entrance quivered at the exposure and Sanji gasped softly, letting his head hang between his arms. "You have a great ass, Sanji."

"Mmm," The cook thrusted back softly, "I know." He heard the other man chuckle, but he was too far gone to focus on being smug, "And it's all yours, so you better fucking hurry up before I lose it."

Zoro groaned, his grip on the firm asscheek tightening. Sanji was about to snap at him, but forgot about his annoyance when he felt a wet finger brush against his opening. The tip teased at the puckered flesh, spreading the lube around. Sanji whined softly into the pillow, growing more desperate with each light touch.

Just when he thought he could take no more, the finger pressed inside. Something within him unraveled, and he could not help but _moan_ , muscles clenching the digit as he tried to force it in further. He needed it _deeper, harder, more._

" _Fuuuuck_ ," Sanji hissed, thrusting back until the finger was in past the knuckle. His whole body felt alite with pleasure, but an itch was growing within him and he needed so much _more._ "Zoro, please. More. _More._."

The blonde whined when the finger was removed completely, but he did not have to suffer for long, because the finger quickly returned but, this time, was joined by a second. The spreading was more intense, and a sharp stretching pain burned pleasantly through his ass. Sanji relished in it, gasping and panting as the two digits went deeper and then scissored within him. He groaned, raising himself up to try and relieve the pressure. He could no longer tell if it was good or bad, he just knew that if it stopped he might die.

"Zoro! Fuck me, _please_. I need you inside _now_!"

His answer was a deep chuckle as a third finger pressed inside. The cook growled, a high pitched keening coming from somewhere deep in his throat. Zoro continued to tease, and stretch, keeping an eye on the blonde's reactions to make sure that the pain never outweighed the pleasure.

His own cock was aching between his legs, just as desperate as he was to get inside the other man. But Zoro wanted to take his time, to make the cook crazy with his touch. He knew that he was close, _so close_ to making the other man lose it.

"You're so sensitive," Zoro teased as he sank his fingers in deeper until he found what he had been looking for.

With a yelp, Sanji collapsed onto the bed, squirming and trembling as sparks of pleasure spread from the spot Zoro had rubbed. "Oh, fuck!" He cried out, his face buried in the pillows, muffling his cries. "Goddamn it, Zoro, fucking fuck me!" Sanji snapped over his shoulder, his hips and legs shaking as the other man removed his fingers. Zoro grabbed his ankles and roughly flipped him over onto his back.

The cook looked up at him, his blonde hair wild and his blue gaze full of lust. He kept the eye contact as Zoro positioned himself at the now wet entrance, and slowly sunk into the heat of the other man.

A long groan ripped from Zoro as he forced his heavy girth inside, moving slow and letting Sanj adjust to each inch. Despite the harsh stretch, the blonde's ass opened for him, seeming to pull him into its tight depths. He could feel the muscles spasming around his cock, but he kept pushing, going deeper and deeper. Sanji was moaning, blunt nails digging into his shoulders painfully. The cook had closed his eyes, clearly overwhelmed with it all.

"Sanji," Zoro panted, thrusting shallowly, fighting off the need to come just from how tight the other man was, "Sanji, look at me."

Those blue eyes opened, catching his own in their depths, and Zoro groaned again. He took the other man's mouth, feeling the other's tongue slip past his lips to tangle with his own. The kiss was slow, gentle, a mere need for more contact. However, when Zoro felt his hips knock against Sanji's thighs, he pulled back to desperately inhale air as he let himself fully experience the feeling of being in Sanji.

The cook let his head fall back, gasping and moaning as he adjusted to the feeling of being full. Zoro was definitely huge, and while there was pain, the pleasure easily kept it at bay. He trembled under the other man, his muscles clenching sporadically around the hard member as his body struggled to accept it, while also reveling in the feel of it.

" _You're so fucking big_ ," Sanji hissed, his legs slowly moving to wrap around Zoro. The movement made both men groan. "Fucking move, mosshead."

Zoro kissed him again, covering his mouth with his own as he pulled his hips back slowly. The simple action made Sanji gasp against his tongue. Then Zoro thrust inside, hard and fast, and he swallowed the cry Sanji let out as his whole body writhed with pained pleasure.

The green-haired man was not doing much better, his cock aching and his mind shutting down as he pulled back again only to quickly push back inside. After a few more thrusts, Sanji's hands slipped down to his ass and forced him to push in harder.

"Harder, Zoro, harder. Faster. _Please._ "

He quickly did as requested, slamming inside and striking against the other man's prostate in the process. Sanji screamed, hands falling to his sides and twisting in the sheets as Zoro repeated the brutal movement.

Setting the pace, Zoro began to pound into the other man, panting and watching the other man thrash about beneath him. Zoro groaned when the blonde managed to look at him, his head tilted to the side as he gasped out at each thrust. His golden fringe was thrown haphazardly across his face and Zoro had never seen something so mesmerizing in his life.

"You are so fucking beautiful," He hissed, speeding up his movements as he felt the fire of climax growing in his gut. "I'm not going to last much longer," He gasped out, desperation dripping from each word.

Long fingers scratched down his back, but one hand moved to wrap around the back of his neck. Sanji pulled him into another kiss, teeth nipping at his lips. Then the other man shifted to take the three earrings into his mouth, tongue playing with the golden rods. Hot breath against his ear made Zoro's hips spasm. He felt Sanji clench hard around him, the pressure making his mind go blank and his vision go dark.

" _Zoro_ ," Sanji whispered, licking up the curve of Zoro's ear. " _Come for me._ "

Something broke inside of Zoro at the words, and he was suddenly coming, his hips stuttering with release. Zoro managed to push in as deep as he could go before he shot inside that tight heat, filling the man to the brim.

He was distantly aware of Sanji spasming, and feeling something hot and wet splash between them, but he could hardly focus past the dizzying high. Everything around him blurred, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as all of his nerves went numb with pleasure.

The feeling of Zoro's cum filling him up made Sanji reach his own climax, his hips jerking as his own load spilled onto his chest, some splashing onto Zoro's toned stomach. He thought he heard himself scream again, the rush of electric heat making every one of his nerve endings sing.

Finally, his body fell limp against the sheets, blue eyes trying to focus on image before him. The sight of his release on the other man would have made him hard again if not for the fact that he was exhausted from the overload of sensations. Instead, he let his eyes close again and wrapped his arms around Zoro when the green-haired man collapsed on top of him, chest heaving.

As he regained a degree more control over his body, Sanji lifted his arms from around the other man's neck and dragged his fingers through the green hair, humming happily. "That was amazing." When Zoro still did not respond, the blonde nuzzled into the crook of Zoro's neck and murmured, "You alive, mosshead? Or did my great ass kill you?"

Zoro inhaled deeply and let his hands trail down the lean biceps as he listened to the blonde's heartbeat slow down. "Mmmm," He finally replied, lifting his head to look at the other man. Mischievous blue eyes gazed back at him, filled with the same happiness and warmth that Zoro felt radiating from his core.

The need to kiss Sanji overcame him, and the realization that he _could_ kiss the other man sent another burst of joy throughout his being.

Their lips touched fondly, timidly, as if both were afraid that this was a dream. However, when they both pulled back, neither man disappeared and, instead, reality set in. The combined body heat was becoming sweltering, and the stickiness of their cum and sweat was now annoying rather than sexy. However, Sanji only grinned up at the green-haired man, overjoyed to feel the evidence that proved that this was real.

With a small chuckle, that seemed to confuse the other man, Sanji leaned up and gave Zoro another peck on the lips before shoving him off and to the side. "Get off, Marimo. You're heavy." However, the minute he was free, Sanji shifted to cuddle up against Zoro's side.

The green-haired man scowled but wrapped his arm around the other, holding him close. "You weren't complaining a few minutes ago," Zoro grumbled, caressing the pale skin sleepily and letting himself drift off. He was brought back to reality by a gentle poking against his cheek. "Ack! What?"

"I said, pass me a cigarette. It's in the top drawer."

Zoro's scowl returned as he glared down at the other man, "You _literally_ just got over being sick. Shouldn't you-"

"You _literally_ just fucked me until I screamed," Sanji stated, his expression deadpan.

There was an awkward pause before Zoro grumbled something that sounded like 'fine' and turned to search for the requested item. He pulled out a cigarette and a lighter and passed them to the blonde who quickly lit up, tossing the lighter somewhere on the bed. He inhaled deeply, holding it in for a wonderful moment, and then blew it up into the darkened room.

"Fuck, I missed that," Sanji commented quietly before stifling a yawn.

"You better not fall asleep. I'm not done with you yet," Zoro muttered, clearly fighting sleep himself.

"I'm not the one you should be worried about. You better wake the fuck up, because I get to do you this time," Sanji griped back, taking another puff on the cigarette.

"I'm just resting my eye. I needed a break from looking at your stupid face-"

Sanji interrupted the other man by blowing smoke directly at his parted lips. He chuckled at the annoyed sputtering and growl that followed his actions. "Once I finish this cigarette it's on, lazy asshole."

"Tch."

A comfortable quiet descended upon the room as the two men relaxed in each other's embrace. The soft sound of rain could be heard outside, though it seemed the worst of the storm had passed. Zoro opened his eye, gazing up at the ceiling through the thin film of smoke. He pulled the blonde closer, still amazed that this was real. He could feel Sanji's steady heartbeat against his chest, and it matched his own strong pattern.

"You're sure this isn't a dream?" Zoro asked quietly.

Sanji shifted in his grip and before he could react, soft lips were pressed against his own. The kiss was brief, but the meaning behind it would last a lifetime. When the blonde pulled back, Zoro gazed into those ocean filled eyes that looked at him fondly. "Nope, definitely not a dream."

Zoro reached up to brush aside a lock of golden hair, "...I love you, Sanji."

"I know," Sanji smiled, "I love you, too."


End file.
